The Best Part is Falling
by lunarfly
Summary: Ace's life gets more complicated when his history professor, Robin, and Nami team up to set him up with his longtime crush Marco. His very straight longtime crush. He really needed new friends. Marco/Ace. Written for opbigbang.


**Pairings:** Ace/Marco, Nami/Robin  
**Notes:** Written for opbigbang. Thank you so much to our wonderful artist mfrov for producing such amazing art. It's the cover of this story, and you can view thegorgeous art through a link on our profile. Thanks also to StarPurpleandBlue for betaing for us!

"I'm going to announce your next project now." Robin smiled, and Ace felt his stomach sink. If he'd learned nothing in Robin's Pirate Age history class, he'd learned that smile meant nothing good. "It will be a partner project, an essay, 10 pages on the pirate crew of your choice and an in-class presentation. This will be 25% of your final grade."

The class murmured, clearly working out who would work with whom, and Ace had just locked eyes with Nami, who smirked, when Robin cleared her throat, her smile growing. "I will, of course, be assigning partners."

The class groaned as one, and Robin smiled directly at Ace. She might be his friend, teacher or no, but that was not a look that put him at ease, not when she was reading off names, not when _he_ was in this class too. She wouldn't...

"Ace, you'll be working with Marco for your project." Robin's expression remained the same, but Ace just knew that inside she was snickering. Nami wasn't even bothering to keep it to herself. Traitors. He'd just bet that Nami had known this was going to happen. Ace shot a glance over to Marco, who was smiling at him from across the room where he sat with the other seniors.

Ace grinned back, heart fluttering in his chest, before he noticed Robin smiling smugly at him. He glared at her, crossing his arms, and she continued her explanation, the partners now all assigned. "The paper will be due during your final exam period, and your presentation will be given in class. Days will be assigned later in the semester."

Robin paused and looked around the room. "I give this assignment early, so that those of you who will be graduating this year have the opportunity to do most of your research early and not be bogged down at the end." Her eyes locked on Ace. "Take advantage of your time."

Robin turned back to the rest of the class, smiling gently, but Ace was still wary. Robin's plans were never so simple. "You may have the rest of the period off to get to know your partner, exchange contact information, and discuss your topic. Please submit your top three pirate crews to me by tomorrow, along with a work plan." Ace's eyes widened, and he looked at the clock. Surely she wasn't going to... "Since this is the last class, you may feel free to leave school grounds to have your discussion. You're dismissed."

A half-hearted cheer rose among the students as people shuffled around to find their partners. Ace was somewhat consoled by the fact that Robin had stuck Nami with Zoro, who'd been oblivious the entire lecture, peacefully asleep in the corner desk behind Nami.

Nami glanced back at her partner before cursing under her breath and turning back to Ace. "She would stick me with this Neanderthal." Her gaze turned sly. "Good luck with your partner."

"I could say the same to you," Ace said, nodding back at Zoro, who was still dead to the world.

Nami scoffed. "Please, I can handle Zoro." She smacked him over the head to enunciate her point, and Zoro came up sputtering and cursing, instinctively reaching for the swords he wasn't allowed to wear. Nami raised a brow and smirked, completely ignoring Zoro ranting at her. "The question is how are you going to handle Marco?"

Zoro blinked, looking back and forth between Nami and Ace. "What?"

Nami sighed. "Come on. You know Robin assigned you to me because you're failing, right? We're going to the library right now."

Ace chuckled as he watched Nami herd the protesting Zoro out of the classroom and drag him off.

"Ace?" Ace spun around at the sound of Marco's voice.

"Yes? I mean hi."

Marco stared at him for a second, the corner of his mouth quirking up a bit. "Where do you want to work? You want to leave?"

"Anywhere is fine with me. I have nothing after school." Ace grinned and congratulated himself on acting normal. He relaxed a bit at Marco's easy smile. He could do this.

"Perfect. Follow me then. I have a place in mind."

* * *

Marco's place in mind turned out to be a small café, and he waved to the owner as they went in. Ace had heard about this café. It was popular with students at school, and the owners rewarded good grades for repeat customers. Not only that, but it was a quiet place, serene almost, and Marco led them to a table at the back.

"They do food too," Marco said suddenly, and Ace's hand hovered over his bag, digging in for his wallet a moment later. If food was available, there was no holding him back.

The waitress came over and took their orders. Marco went for a simple coffee and panini, while Ace struggled not to order the entire menu. He managed to restrain himself and took a deep breath, pulling paper and a pen out of his bag.

"So pirates," he said, and Marco looked up at him with a nod.

"Pirates," he agreed with a nod, moving back slightly as the waitress returned with their drinks. Ace turned to the waitress with a polite smile, thanking her sincerely. Manners were important, after all, and he needed this meeting with Marco to go really well.

"We obviously both like them," Ace said, looking down after the words were spoken. Why was talking to Marco so hard? Well, he knew why. He'd practically been in love with Marco since the first moment he saw him, outside the main hall when he'd been in his first year of school. There hadn't been flowers or a choir singing, but Ace had still felt something stir within him, something he'd kept hidden to himself all these years.

"We have to pick a pirate crew to study," Marco said, taking a sip of his coffee. Ace heard his murmur of appreciation, and it sent a little smile to his lips.

"Well, the most obvious choice would be either of the pirate king crews," Ace said, frowning at the thought of studying those crews. They were well documented so there would be plenty of material, but Ace knew they'd be the most popular crews.

"What's your favourite?" Marco asked, and Ace was about to reply when the food came over. He grinned, taking the three plates he'd ordered, before turning his attention back to Marco.

"Whitebeard," he said easily, stuffing fries in his mouth. Marco nodded at his answer, and Ace hoped the glimmer in Marco's eyes wasn't just his own imagination.

"I like Whitebeard too," Marco said, and didn't that just set Ace's stomach into a nervous mess of butterflies and joy? It was ridiculous, really, and Ace cleared his throat, picking at the burger he'd ordered.

"We could do him then," Ace suggested, trying not to sound so hopeful. They had common ground, they could bond properly over this. They could maybe even become friends…. Maybe-

Ace cut the trail of thought off. There was no way anything would happen between him and Marco. Marco was straight as a ruler, there was no way he'd fall for Ace, even with late night study sessions, little café meetings, and bonding. Besides, Marco was one of the most popular guys in school. It seemed every girl (and most guys too) had confessed to him at some point during their school career.

"That would be great," Marco said, thankfully cutting into Ace's wandering thoughts. Marco frowned. "But he was pretty famous as well. We should send the email right away. What are our other two backups?"

Ace was already digging out his phone. "Don't worry about backups. Robin owes me." Ace shot off a text, and the affirmative response was instantaneous, like she'd been waiting for it. Luffy really met the strangest people. "There, all set."

Marco gave him a strange glance, then raised his eyebrows, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Is that how it is then? I wouldn't have thought-"

"No!" The other patrons in the café turned to stare at Ace's outburst, and he smiled apologetically before turning back to Marco. "Uh- No, she's my brother's friend, so I see her a lot. And by friend I really mean platonic. Luffy just has a way with people."

"Okay..." Marco said. "Well, we still need to work out our schedule, right? It would be great if we could get an early start on it like Professor Nico suggested."

"Sure! I don't mind." Ace looked down at his notes about the assignment. "Looks like the first thing is to do research. My workload is pretty light now, so it's up to you how many times we meet after school a week. Maybe two or three? It shouldn't take more than a couple weeks to gather our research."

"From what I've seen in class, it shouldn't take us long together at all. Let's meet twice a week, starting next Monday." Marco smiled at him, and Ace wasn't too proud to admit to himself that the moment seemed to stretch and yet was far too fleeting. Ace snapped himself out of it enough to make coherent responses to Marco's questions as he drew up a basic plan with goals on his laptop and emailed it to Robin.

"There, all done." Marco smiled again, and Ace managed to remember to breathe this time. "I'm glad I got you for a partner."

The waitress came back, saving Ace from having to form words. She brushed too close to Marco when clearing their plates, smiling flirtatiously and apologising. Ace's eyes widened, and his heart sank when he saw Marco's gaze focus on him.

She finally left, with much fluttering and glancing back, and Marco grimaced. "It's hard to believe how bold some people will be, isn't it?"

"Oh, ah, yeah," Ace said, heart slowing. Of course Marco wouldn't think he'd been staring for any other reason. "I would think you'd be used to it with all the attention you get at school." Ace forced a weak chuckle. "But I guess that would get really annoying."

Marco looked at him strangely and shook his head lightly, and a silence fell over their table.

"I'm sorry, I know this is kind of weird, but how do you get someone to like you?" Ace felt his face flush at Marco's surprised glance. "Sorry, no need to answer. That was weird. Sorry. Ignore me." Ace let his head sink to rest on the table, hiding his face in his arms.

Ace wasn't sure what provoked him to ask, but he couldn't take the words back now. He wished he could, or that the ground could swallow him up. He groaned, peering up at Marco with a furrowed brow.

Marco was smiling, nodding slowly. He wasn't running for the door or staring down at Ace in horror. He was, dare Ace say it, agreeing to answer.

"If I'm honest, I'm not sure," Marco said, shrugging and resting his cheek against his palm. "The people at school, and even those in other places, seem to just go for me."

Ace could hear annoyance creeping into Marco's words, and he felt a little sorry for him. It must be overwhelming at school. Ace had seen it before, Marco simply walking from one class to another, passing by people tittering in his direction. It was never bad gossip, but it put Marco in a different category to normal people. He was unobtainable and perfect, even though he was a normal person like the rest of them.

He could feel words bubbling up, and Ace wanted to stop them. For some terrible reason, though, instead of his words staying in his mouth where they should be like good little words, they burst out of his throat.

"Do you think you could teach me?" he said, instantly mortified. Still, Ace had blundered through worst scraps, so he smiled, sitting upright. "How to seduce, I mean."

Marco was silent, and Ace wondered if he'd be texting Robin to ask for a new partner as he'd fucked things up with this one. He continued to be silent, and Ace took a sip of his drink, wondering if he should save face and just see himself out now.

"Why would you need help in seduction?" Marco said eventually, voice a little strained.

He had to be careful now, Ace knew. He took a shaky breath and looked down at the table, eyes trailing lines and wood knots for a moment before he replied.

"There's someone I like," he began, thinking through his phrasing before continuing on. It would be disastrous to reveal to Marco that _he _was the one Ace liked. All he wanted was to spend more time with Marco, get to know him and then perhaps, maybe, confess. Maybe. "I'm useless at all that romance stuff, and I figured you know your stuff."

While Marco didn't look too happy by that, he didn't look as if he was going to run for the door. Ace let his hand relax from where it had been gripping his phone through his shorts pocket, hopeful that he wouldn't have to text Robin.

"I'm not sure I know much," Marco admitted, and he looked away with a lopsided smile. "I'm always happy to help my kōhai out, though."

He was so selfless, Ace thought, and fought to keep his smile down. Not only would he get to work with Marco on the project, but he now had an excuse to see Marco completely out of academia.

* * *

Marco had felt like he was watching from outside himself as he agreed to meet Ace on Sunday to teach him, his sane, rational self floating above them screaming at him to stop. Nonetheless, despite not quite understanding how he had let this happen, Marco found himself on his way to meet Ace for a lesson.

They'd exchanged numbers at the café after Marco had had his brief loss of sanity, and Marco had texted Ace Saturday morning with full intention of cancelling their plans for Sunday, but somehow instead they'd spent hours texting back and forth.

Marco hadn't really known much of Ace before the project, though he had always sort of wanted to, but he never seemed to be able to catch him at the right time. Marco had been surprised at the variety of topics Ace brought up - leaping from thing to thing in his enthusiasm, and he found himself enjoying it more than he'd ever expected. By the time he'd woken up on Sunday (late at that, since he'd stayed up far too long), Marco had _wanted_ to come meet Ace.

Marco groaned out loud, causing the lady walking next to him to give him a startled glance and cross to the other side of the street. What had he been thinking? Lessons in how to get someone to like you were not something he could teach: he spent a good deal of time doing the opposite.

There was also the problem that Ace was more than attractive, and from what Marco had seen, he had his own share of people flinging themselves at him. Marco frowned, stopping to wait for the light to turn. He was only a block away from the mall where they'd planned on meeting. Ace must really like this person a lot in order to be so oblivious to his own appeal, especially when he went so far as to ask for help.

He wondered idly if this was Ace's first crush. It must be, surely, for him to be so shy about it. Marco smiled as the light changed, and he started across the street. First love was always bittersweet, and he wished Ace the best, though a heavy feeling in his stomach pointed out that what Marco really wanted was for Ace to like _him_, a thought he'd entertained a lot over his school life. There was something about Ace that made Marco light up whenever he saw him, and no one else had been able to do that.

Marco took a deep breath as he rounded the corner. He could do this. Really, all he needed to teach Ace was enough confidence to be able to confess to whomever and hope whoever they were deserved him, maybe be ready to support him if they weren't. Ace must be blind to think he needed lessons in seduction.

Ace was waiting at the front entrance of the mall, looking endearingly nervous. The wind ruffled his hair as he casually leaned on the stone wall. He was obviously unsure exactly how to stand, fiddling with his phone, rearranging his apparently staged casual position. Marco chuckled to himself, ignoring the weird looks from passersby once again. He was here to teach him how to seduce, and yet every single person walking by had their eyes drawn to him.

Marco was honestly a bit confused about the whole thing. Ace was attractive, intelligent, and kind. He had a great sense of humor, and he obviously wasn't shy, given that he'd asked a near stranger for help with his love life. Who would intimidate him enough to make him too nervous to just make a pass?

Ace caught sight of him, and his whole face lit up as he waved exuberantly. "Hey, Marco!"

Marco smiled back and returned the greeting. Ace fell into step with him, and together, they entered the mall.

They walked in silence, Ace peering around Marco to stare in the nearby shops, snorting quietly to himself every now and again when they passed by something particularly ridiculous. As they passed a shop with dresses that seemed to have everything and more on them, he actually stopped, a confused look on his face as he peered at the mannequins. Marco paused, taking a half-step back to stand by Ace.

"That dress is disgusting," Ace muttered, and Marco had to agree. It was a lurid pink colour, feathers and sequins littering the body. "Why would anyone think that is an okay thing to put on display?"

Marco shook his head, a little smile creasing the corners of his lips. And okay, it was the tiny details that really drew him to people, so Ace was making a direct campaign to his heart right now, whether Marco wanted to acknowledge it or not. Too bad he was teaching Ace how to successfully win the heart of his dream girl.

Marco was probably fucked from the moment Professor Nico had paired him up, he'd come to realise in hindsight. Ace was gorgeous, he had an amazing personality, and he ticked about every single box Marco could think to throw up in his own defence.

"Come on," Marco said softly, turning towards the direction of the food court. It was before the mad lunch rush so he knew it would be fairly quiet and a decent place to start off this session. Plus, Marco could distract himself by eating when he had no idea what to say about seduction. Maybe he should post for advice in the Facebook group he and his brothers shared. They'd surely be able to help. Most of them were straight too, so that was an added bonus. Marco had no idea what women liked.

He made a note to post on the group later, bought some lunch and made his way to the table Ace had snagged. He was already halfway through a burger, and he smiled when he saw Marco.

"What's this person like?" Marco asked first. He figured he needed to have an idea of who Ace was chasing after before he gave out any advice. Of course it would be great to know who the person was completely (just so Marco could avoid them of course, for practical reasons and not out of jealousy), but Marco had a feeling Ace wasn't going to give that information up lightly.

Ace paused around a mouthful of burger, eyes wide. For a moment, Marco was worried he'd choked on something, but he carried on eating a beat later, looking around almost as if he was trying to find someone.

"Well," Ace started when he'd finished his burger, and Marco picked absently at the soggy lettuce in his sandwich. "They're tall," he continued, and Marco nodded. He hadn't picked Ace as one to be shy when describing his crush, but he supposed it was likely his first. There was always that innocence with the first one.

"And they have…" Ace paused again, taking a long sip of his drink, even when he was slurping just at ice cubes noisily.

Ace drew back from the straw and looked at Marco suspiciously. "You just want to know who it is." He pointed accusingly at Marco with his burger before stuffing the rest in his mouth, glaring as he chewed.

"Physical traits aren't really what I meant anyway, Ace," Marco said, smiling at Ace's attempts at being haughty. He really couldn't pull it off. "People are all different, and there is no one sure fire way of getting someone to like you."

"Oh." Ace fiddled with his empty cup, the rattling of the ice cubes the only sound between them for some time. Marco didn't press, but he had to admit he was a bit curious what required so much thought. Finally, Ace shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

"Well, they seem pretty quiet. They have lots of friends, but they're always the one listening, if you know what I mean." Marco hummed and nodded, not wanting to interrupt the description. He told himself he wasn't mentally crossing off potential people on the list. "They're really smart, and they always just seem so... not really stable, but... I don't know how to say it, really."

Ace's soft expression cut into Marco, and he ruthlessly shoved down the wave of jealousy that welled up in him, for the experience of first love or whomever the dreamy expression was meant for, he didn't know. Ace blushed and sat up straighter, clearing his throat.

"I guess I really don't know that much about them." Marco sat up as well and smiled at Ace, gently nudging him under the table with a foot. Regardless of whom Ace liked, Marco wouldn't let such a wistful expression cloud Ace's eyes.

"Well, that's easy enough to fix." Ace blinked at him, and Marco felt an inexplicable urge to laugh at his blank expression. "You just have to talk with them. Or, well, flirt really."

"What, like, bat my eyelashes at y-them? You've got to be kidding, Marco." Ace looked up at him, eyes gleaming with humor as he grinned cheekily. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you for help: you must just be a natural or something. Be honest, you have no clue what you're doing." Marco's breath caught for a moment as Ace's gaze held his. A natural, huh? He let out his breath slowly.

"I'm not sure you understand what I mean by flirting," he said, willing the slight roughness in his voice to vanish. "Flirting is just... a lighthearted conversation to catch someone's interest and show interest in return."

Ace leaned forward like he was burning every word into his brain, and Marco had to stop himself from reaching out to place a hand on his arm. "It's kind of like a game, where you win if you find out about the person and leave them wanting more." Ace nodded seriously, and Marco could almost see him wishing for a notebook.

"How do you do it?" Marco sighed. Why did he ever agree to this? He looked back at Ace's eager expression, and settled back in his seat, absentmindedly cleaning up from their meal as he thought.

"Well, you try to keep eye contact, compliment them, keep the focus on them and the conversation lighthearted, making sure they know they have your attention." Marco paused, smiling to himself ruefully. "And teasing. Teasing is good." Ace nodded, and Marco raised a brow, a thrill rushing through him as Ace blushed and looked away, mumbling something.

"So now you need to try it out." Marco scanned the food court, ignoring how his stomach dropped at his own words. "There. See the girl over by the trash can? You can take the trays up and start a conversation with her." Ace had turned to look at the girl, but at that, he spun back to face Marco. A moment passed as he clearly scrambled to find words, and Marco went through what he'd said to figure out what was wrong. Did Ace know the girl? Could it be that she was the one-

Ace breathed out slowly, running a hand through his hair. "Do you think- maybe we could... I mean, I could- it's just, I don't know her and- Could I practice with you?"

Marco blinked slowly, wondering if he'd heard Ace correctly. He really hoped he had, thought it might make things a little difficult further down the line. Marco cleared his throat, hoping he seemed nonchalant.

"I don't see why not," he said quietly, looking away. He glanced at the other people around them, frowning slightly when he realised they were all couples. And clearly-together couples at that. One couple were making doe eyes at each other as they fed each other fries, and another were too busy eating each other's faces to eat the food in front of them.

"Promise me you'll keep the PDAs down to an appropriate level," Marco said quickly, stomach turning as the couple seemed to slurp at each other. Ace looked equally as horrified when Marco met his eye, and he nodded slowly.

"Nothing ever like that," he agreed, and Marco smiled in satisfaction. He won't be seeing Ace and his new love kissing in the middle of the hall then, hopefully.

_How to flirt,_ Marco thought and sighed. It wasn't as if he flirted lots, in fact Marco couldn't think of a time when he had properly flirted. Or been conscious of flirting at least. Maybe when he was drunk? How the hell was he supposed to give advice when he had no idea? Marco thought that perhaps he should send a message to his brothers now, titled 'I NEED A LOT OF HELP'.

"You need to be interested in the person," Marco said. He was the one his brothers always came to for advice, and he always seemed to do a decent job there; this couldn't be too much different. Right?

"Not just attracted to them or faking an interest," Marco clarified, thoughts slipping to how he'd want Ace to act with _him_. "You have to genuinely be interested in them as a person. You don't have to like everything they do or take interest in, but you can't just blunder through thinking everything will be okay in the end."

Ace nodded, and Marco felt a swell of satisfaction run through him. He wasn't doing so badly, then.

"I don't know them that well," Ace said slowly, and Marco nodded.

"What do you want from them?" Marco asked, and Ace's face scrunched up in confusion. "Like… do you just want sex, or do you want to see how things go?"

Ace's eyes widened at the mention of sex, as if the thought hadn't quite crossed his mind, and Marco knew he would never stand a chance. Ace had it bad for this girl, and they were quite possibly the luckiest person on the planet right now.

Well. If he couldn't be with Ace, he'd make sure that he made Ace happy.

"See how things go," Ace said quietly, shrugging. "It depends on them, really."

A wise answer, Marco thought.

"Then you're interested in them," Marco said simply. "If you want to get to know them, want to be a proper part of their life, that means you're interested in them as a person."

Ace seemed to consider this, nodding to himself slowly.

"That's good," Marco said softly, and the smile Ace gave him could light up the world, he was sure of it. "So, ask me about myself, I suppose. I mean, if you still want to practice with me."

Ace's face wrinkled up adorably in concentration, and Marco let his eyes linger, sure that if Ace actually noticed (which, at this point, seemed a bit unlikely- he'd never met someone quite so oblivious), he'd believe it was part of the exercise.

"But isn't that just what we've been doing? With texts, I mean." Ace's face turned bright red, and Marco's heart near stopped, the words and the blush combining to make his head spin.

Ace coughed. "I mean, what makes it different?" Gleaming red hair and a contagious laugh flashed through Marco's mind, memories of his last relationship, and he smiled

"To be honest, I really don't know." Marco laughed at himself, the wide eyes awaiting his answer making a mockery of his attempts to teach something he'd never consciously done. "It just kind of is? You really should have asked someone else for help."

Ace reached across the table to grab Marco's hand, his expression suddenly serious. "Don't say that. You've been enormously helpful. Thank you." Marco watched as the realisation that he held Marco's hand hit Ace, and he drew back at once, looking unsure of what to do with his hand now that it was no longer on Marco's.

"Maybe we can both ask questions though? I'll feel like I'm interrogating you otherwise, and I'm pretty sure that's not the right feeling." Ace grinned a bit sheepishly.

"Sure, that sounds good." More that good. Fantastic, even. Marco wasn't quite sure he should take so much satisfaction in the way things were going, but he wouldn't do anything more than was asked. Ace's happiness was what was important, and if Marco enjoyed this flirting lesson a bit too much, well, Ace would never have to know.

As for himself, he was pretty sure that he was screwed from the moment Professor Nico called his name with Ace's, so he might as well enjoy himself.

"So, what do you want to know?" Marco asked, unable to keep the grin from his face.

* * *

Ace entered his house and fought the urge to just melt into a puddle right there in the entryway. He managed to take off his shoes and shuffle into the living room before collapsing bonelessly on the floor.

"Date go well, then?" Sabo asked, tearing his eyes away from the screen where he and Luffy were playing some racing game briefly. Ace saw him and Luffy exchange a glance and pause the game.

"It wasn't a date!" Ace protested, and their matching grins told him they believed not a word of it.

"So what did you do for the last six hours, then?" Luffy asked.

"Well, we got food, and then we practiced flirting." At his brothers' deadpan expressions, he continued, sitting up and crossing his arms. "It wasn't a date."

"Wait, it's been six hours?" Ace turned towards the clock, mouth dropping open at the time.

"Mate, it's getting dark outside." Sabo laughed at him. "You'd better text Marco that you got home safely."

"Oh, you're right." When both Sabo and Luffy started laughing, Ace scowled. "Well, he doesn't think of it as a date, so it hardly matters what I think, now does it?" They sobered at that, and Luffy crossed the room to pull Ace to his feet, tugging him over to join them on the couch.

Ace let himself be sandwiched in by his brothers, scowling as he dug popcorn out of the sofa creases. Seriously, the two of them were wallowing pigs when they wanted to be. Not that Ace was any different, but he hadn't been here, so he could moan about them.

"I feel bad," Ace admitted. He watched as Luffy began eating the popcorn he'd removed and wrinkled his nose. At least Ace would never eat sofa-popcorn.

"Why?" Sabo asked, reaching for the bowl of non-contaminated popcorn that sat between the sofa and the TV. Both of their game controllers had been abandoned, almost flung away from them, and Ace knew today was one of the rare times that he was under scrutiny. Usually it was Luffy.

"He's trying to help me get a date with a girl," Ace said slowly, and when he thought about it like this, broken down, it did sound utterly ridiculous. Maybe he needed to stop watching awful soap operas.

"Yeah," Sabo said, rolling his eyes and flicking popcorn at Ace. Luffy snatched it up quickly, grinning.

"But there is no girl. I want to get a date with him, but instead of just asking like a normal person, I somehow ended up wanting to spend more time with him while trying to secretly seduce him, and-" Ace ran a hand through his hair. He'd fucked up big time. How did he even salvage this mess?

"And he's straight," Ace muttered, which was really the big problem and the reason Ace had resorted to being so sneaky about this. So really, it was Marco's fault.

"Are you sure?" Luffy said, hand sneaking past Ace as he leant on him, fingers grabbing for more popcorn. "How do you know?"

Ace opened his mouth, closed it again and frowned. Okay, so Marco hadn't exactly come out and said he was straight, but Ace had only ever seen him flirt with women. Every man he'd turned down had been sent away gently, but the women always got a little more, a soft smile and a laugh at their jokes. Even if Marco didn't like them, he showed a lot more interest in them than the men.

"It's obvious," Ace said, shrugging. Subject closed, so could they please move on now? He didn't want to think about any world with a possibly not-straight Marco because then he'd simply get his hopes up, only to be crushed.

"Well, why don't you just say you confessed to this imaginary girl, she rejected you and then you can carry on as friends?" Sabo suggested, and it might be an idea. "You're always texting each other, so I think you're safe not to need this dating stuff.

Ace thought for a moment. There was a flaw in the plan though, and Luffy snorted when he spoke.

"I'm not a good actor," he admitted, and Sabo made an understanding "oh". If they went with that plan, Ace would have to pretend he'd been crushed by the love of his life. Ace really didn't think he'd be able to pull off a performance anywhere near as convincing as it'd need to be and, well, then he'd just have to explain the entire mess, and it was best just to avoid explaining anything at all.

"Well then, there's nothing for it but confess or keep going." Sabo looked at him dryly. "And we all know which of those you'll choose." Luffy nodded, and Ace shoved down the desire to smack them both, insufferable know-it-alls, but he couldn't deny they were right. A rare moment of stillness fell over them.

Luffy, of course, was the one to shake them from their reflection. "I'm going to kick both your butts at Mario Kart, and then we're going to eat dinner, or maybe dinner first now that I think about it, and we're not going to get any sleep, and we're going to ignore maths projects due tomorrow, and it's going to be so much fun." Ace met Sabo's gaze to see if he'd caught the important bit in that too, and they both turned to Luffy, who audibly gulped.

"Luffy, did you happen to have a maths project due tomorrow that you haven't done?" Ace asked, relieved that Luffy was the one under scrutiny once again, and he heard Sabo scoop up the remote and turn off the tv.

"You wouldn't have gotten me to play video games with you all day while knowing you had homework still, would you?" Sabo asked silkily.

"N-noooo..." Luffy pursed his lips, looking to the side and faking a whistle as he always did when lying. Sabo and Ace exchanged a glance, and Sabo got up to march Luffy along to the kitchen table, leaving Ace to get Luffy's stuff. "But Sabo, it's so stupid! They want me to make a budget! When am I going to use that in life? Huh?" Ace chuckled as he heard Luffy's whine from the kitchen and Sabo's frustrated sigh.

"Luffy, everyone needs to know how to budget. That argument doesn't even make sense." Ace got out his phone and sent a quick text to Marco: for all Sabo's teasing, he did promise, warmth shooting through him when Marco had asked..

_**Made it home safely. Just found out I've got to help Luffy with a maths project he failed to mention...**_

Ace grabbed Luffy's school bag and laptop and had just dumped them on the kitchen table before going to fetch the snacks when his phone buzzed.

_**That's good to hear. Is it the budgeting one? Because Haruta and Izo just burst in here babbling about it.**_

Ace snorted as he chucked some buffalo wings and mini egg rolls into the oven, deciding pizza rolls could be microwaved and a bit soggy in favor of expediency. Sabo had found the project sheet and was muttering about how Luffy should have started this a week ago. Ace sighed as he set cut up fruit and veggies on the table, Sabo and Luffy both digging in even as they argued.

_**Yep xD Luckily Sabo and I have everything done already since it looks like this might take awhile.**_

Ace grabbed the pizza rolls out of the microwave, putting the plate on the table with a flourish, and checked his phone as he sat down.

_**Ugh, really? They don't have anything done either. Oh well, at least we can talk.**_

Ace couldn't help the dopey grin that came to his face at that, and a sudden silence in the kitchen had him looking up. Luffy and Sabo were both grinning at him, and Luffy waggled his eyebrows, looking pointedly at Ace's phone.

"Oh, shut it, you two, and let's get this project started."

* * *

Ace was walking down the corridor, bag precariously balanced on his shoulder, when he had to pause for the umpteenth time of the day, yawning loudly. He'd stayed up late texting Marco, and they'd only stopped texting when Ace had fallen asleep on his phone. He'd woken to having sent Marco a message composed of strange letter combinations and, for some reason, about twenty winky-faced emojis. He'd texted an apology this morning and was glad to have received a thumbs up with an assurance it was fine: otherwise, Ace wasn't sure he could have coped with school if Marco hadn't replied.

A hand on his back stirred Ace from his thoughts, and he jumped as the hand pushed him a little. Nami grinned, and Ace reached for his wallet automatically, recognising her familiar warning sign.

"What did the terror that is my little brother do this time?" he asked, and Nami held out her hand.

"Ran out of the lunch hall without paying. I covered it, so no angry cooks will be chasing after you." Nami smiled, and Ace handed over the money. He'd get it back off Luffy later, but this situation was a familiar one. It was at least twice a week that Ace and Nami made these hall transactions.

"Also," Nami said as she tucked the money away. "I'm having a gathering at mine on Friday. Sabo's invited too, obviously."

Ace grinned. Nami's gatherings were a great excuse to drink, eat Sanji's cooking and, most importantly, let Ace forget about his Marco problems.

"Sounds great," he said, and Nami waved as she walked off. Ace was about to head off when a familiar face caught his eye.

Now, Ace had a choice to make. He could either ignore Marco or call out to him. It was obvious Marco hadn't seen him yet, and Ace decided he was feeling brave today.

"Marco!" he called, and Marco looked at him. He was alone, and Ace waited until someone passed before he stepped beside Marco. "I'm heading to chemistry," Ace added, and Marco nodded.

"Biology for me," he said, and Ace was secretly delighted they were headed in the same direction.

"Did you manage to finish with the budgeting thing?" Ace asked as they walked slowly. It was still the end of lunch, so there was plenty of time. Ace had left early as his teacher seemed to hold a grudge, and being late was off the table. Ace couldn't really blame his teacher, but it really wasn't his fault he couldn't seem to light a Bunsen burner properly. And there was one time there was a small fire on his table, but that hadn't even been Ace's fault despite what the teacher said.

"Just," Marco said, and he sounded weary. Ace glanced at him as he opened a door for them, and noticed dark smudges under his eyes. It was probably the closest to imperfect Ace had ever seen him.

"Late night?" he asked with a smile, and Marco rolled his eyes with a nod as they walked side by side.

"They owe me big time," he said, and Ace jolted slightly when his hand brushed Marco's.

He forced a laugh, the tingling in his hand still remaining. "I bet. One of them was bad enough," he said, shuddering as they entered the science wing. "That project was terrible when Sabo and I had to do it, and we started early."

Ace stopped before his classroom reluctantly, but Marco halted too, and even with the shadows beneath his eyes, he was perfection when he smiled. Ace really hoped he was doing a decent job of maintaining his facade of friendliness for Marco was staring at him intently enough to make Ace fight down a blush.

"I hope Caesar isn't too hard on you today. You look exhausted, and I know you said he has it out for you." The concern on Marco's face made Ace swallow hard. "He can be a real jerk."

"Yeah, but I'll be fine. Nami and Sabo will keep me awake and away from explosive chemicals. Or at least let me sleep on them." Something passed over Marco's face, but it was gone before Ace's sleep-deprived mind could catch it.

"It's good to have friends," Marco said, and Ace was sure his tone was different than before. "Nami? Is that the pretty redhead from history that you always sit with?" Ace's stomach sank as he marked another instance that proved Marco was straight.

"Yeah, that's her." He smiled weakly, hoping it would be enough to keep Marco from suspecting. The bell rang, making both of them jump since they were standing right under it, and Marco smiled.

"Well, I need to get to class. I'll see you later."

Ace entered the lab frowning, wondering what had made Marco seem so different. Sabo was already at their station, nose in a book, and Ace flopped down on the stool next to him, leaning on his shoulder and dozing almost instantly.

A minute later, a swat to the head interrupted his peaceful nap. Nami was glaring at him, and for once, Ace had no idea what he'd done wrong.

"Don't fall asleep before you report!" She glared at him, affronted, and Ace blinked sleepily.

"What? Report on what?" Ace stretched and yawned, looking at Sabo for clarification, but he hadn't looked up from the book.

"I followed you, of course, but I couldn't hear what you were saying. What did you talk about?"

"Hmmm? Me and Marco? Just the maths project. His siblings didn't start until last night either, so we both had a late night of it." Ace blinked as his mind caught up. "Wait, you followed us? Why?"

Nami looked at him pityingly. "I have to report to Robin, of course. I mean, she'll already know, but just in case she misses something. Besides, he was staring while we were talking, so I figured there had been progress." She winked at him, then frowned.

"Just about the project, huh? That's no fun at all." Ace thought back to his flirting lessons yesterday but held his tongue. If Nami and Robin didn't already know - and he didn't put it past them - he'd prefer to keep it like that.

"Look, everyone with half a brain knows you're silly for Marco," Nami said, cocking a smirk as she took a notepad out of her bag. "At least make this entire situation interesting for us to watch."

Ace feigned ignorance, turning his shoulder slightly away from Nami. She huffed, taking her seat beside Ace.

"Corner any innocent maidens this weekend?" Ace muttered, trying to steer the conversation away from his love life, and Nami snorted. She gave him a look that clearly meant they weren't done with the Ace-and-Marco thing, but allowed the change.

"I'm the world's worst lesbian," Nami said, shaking her head. "Seriously the worst."

Ace patted her back sympathetically, and Sabo set his book down.

"You spent the weekend at Robin's, didn't you?" he asked, voice low. Nami nodded, groaning. Ace gave another sympathetic pat as she lowered her head onto the table.

"We've known each other for years," Nami said, hint of a whine creeping into her voice. It made Ace wonder if this was what he sounded like when he talked about Marco. "This is all Nojiko's fault."

Ace hummed to himself, a force of agreement as he let himself slide down onto the table. Nojiko had been friends with Robin before Nami, years ago when Nami was still a kid. She'd had girlfriends, but Nami had said she was completely lost on Robin, no matter what she did.

"It's not fair," Nami said. "At least you can do something about your love life. Robin's a teacher, even if she's not that much older than us."

It was true. Robin was only 5 years older than them, which was why she could comfortably fit into Luffy's friendship circle. Robin was only at the school for a short term anyway, for practical experience or something, before she went to get a PhD in something so absurdly historical that it hurt Ace to even think about it. Still, Ace knew Nami had been dreaming up lesbian adventures of Robin the archaeologist and Nami the cartographer since she was ten, and those thoughts weren't about to stop any time soon.

His mind turned to her other words, and Ace was about to retort that actually he couldn't do anything when Caesar walked in. His wide smile vanished when he set eyes on Ace, and he soon began handing out worksheets filled with complicated equations for them to balance.

Ace was three questions in when a piece of paper slid his way. He raised an eyebrow at Nami before looking down.

_What's the plan to get into Marco's pants?_

Ace grit his jaw, eyes wide as all thoughts of chemicals and balancing rushed out of his mind. If Nami got involved, there would be carnage.

_None of your business,_ he wrote back, sliding the paper her way firmly. Caesar was stalking the work benches, and Ace returned to his work. He really didn't fancy Caesar catching his notes and reading them.

_If I'm miserable at love, I want to at least help a good friend out_, Nami wrote back, and Ace slid the note under his worksheet as Caesar came sniffing by. Sabo let out a laugh badly disguised as a cough, and Ace shook his head.

_You just want the chance to pull favours in when you need them_, Ace replied, very aware of how Nami operated. He loved her, as he did with all his close friends, but her cunning and planning abilities were legendary.

_Do you really want me to have to plot without you? I was nice enough to let you in the loop,_ she scribbled after he passed her back the paper. She pouted at him, and Ace just raised a brow. Like she could top Luffy in terms of puppy dog eyes. Sabo snorted loudly, and Caesar spun around to see them all furiously at work. Ace could feel his glare, and he smoothed his paper out nervously.

_I'm pretty sure he likes you more than he'll ever like me, at least in terms of attraction. Could we please leave it alone? I'd really prefer not to dwell on it._ Nami's eyes widened as she read the note, and she glanced at him apologetically. They passed their papers up at Caesar's request and got out their lab manuals silently since Caesar did not tolerate any chatting in his class whatsoever.

Nami rested her hand on Ace's shoulder, squeezing as if to say sorry, and he smiled at her, setting one hand on her knee. She really was a good friend. Sabo rolled his eyes and started organising their materials, muttering under his breath about them being melodramatic.

The door slammed open suddenly, and everyone spun to the front of the classroom. Marco stood there, looking calm and collected for someone who had just slammed a door, and held up a note from the biology teacher in explanation. Caesar glared, and Ace was impressed that Marco didn't shrink under the furious gaze at all.

Ace tried to catch Marco's eye, but he didn't look away from Caesar as he read the note, balling it up and throwing it out, disgust radiating from him as he waved Marco off without a word.

Ace looked down at Nami and mouthed "See?" as Marco walked to the door, and she stood up and sat in Ace's lap, wrapping herself around him. The door slammed again, and Nami smirked at Ace, who really didn't see what there was to be happy about.

"I do," Nami said slowly. "I really, really do." She slid back to her own stool, grinning like a cat who just got the cream, just as Caesar looked up, and started helping Sabo with the experiment without further comment. Ace huffed, not at all happy with that expression, and ducked behind his lab book, deciding to seek solace in sleep.

* * *

The next day was their first day to meet in the library after school, and with everything that had been going on, Marco had almost forgotten about the project. He'd thankfully managed to avoid Ace today, and he ignored the guilt that stabbed in him at the thought. Ace had sent him a few texts last night, but Marco had pretended he had gone to the cinema and couldn't talk.

Thatch had laughed at him mercilessly- who went to the cinema on a Monday evening?- so much that Marco had eventually dragged him to the cinema to give truth to the lie. He was never telling Thatch anything again. By the time they'd gotten out, Marco was exhausted and had fallen asleep without checking his phone.

He groaned and leaned on his locker, where he'd stopped to exchange his books before meeting Ace. All that mattered was Ace's happiness, but somehow, he really didn't want to be there to see that happiness come to be.

That probably made him an awful person, Marco realised, but he was still a bit sleep deprived, so he didn't care right now.

The library was blessedly quiet, and Marco waited by the reception desk. Ace should be here any minute, and Marco wondered if he'd be able to convince Ace to stop for dinner or something afterwards. He saw Ace through the library doors and was about to wave when he noticed two other figures.

It was the orange-haired girl, Nami if Marco remembered correctly, and a bulky guy Marco was sure he'd seen on the track for one sports club or another. Ace gave a little smile, and Marco felt any question on why they were there slip from his lips. The more the merrier, right?

"I hope you don't mind," Nami said, smiling sweetly. She was gorgeous, Marco had to admit, and he supposed if he had to concede defeat, this woman was someone he'd acknowledge.

"Zoro's going to fail if he doesn't pass this project," Nami said, and the bulky man– Zoro, apparently– inclined his head ever so slightly. "Good thing his coach had eased up on his training, and he actually has to spend time out of the gym."

Marco gave a tight lipped smile. He was sure Zoro was a great guy, but his plans with Ace had changed and, well, Marco was a little annoyed. Years of living with an extended family had perfected Marco's outward display of emotions, and he allowed himself a cheerful smile, nodding to one of the tables.

After grabbing library-owned laptops, they settled on one of the tables. Nami was saying something to Zoro– something about a nearby restaurant– and Ace sat down. The laptops were slow, and Ace pulled a pad of paper out. A ripped out page with what looked to be a conversation was quickly stuffed back into Ace's bag, and Marco wondered what it was about. Judging by Ace's wide eyes and the way he shoved his bag under his chair quickly, it was something not for Marco's eyes.

Marco remembered the display he'd seen in Ace's chemistry class. Perhaps it had been Ace putting his flirting to the test, and if so, it had clearly worked. His mood darkened a little, and Marco sighed. He needed to get out this week some time, spend some time with someone he wasn't related to or currently crushing madly on.

"Who did you decide to do your project on?" Nami said suddenly, and Marco looked at her. The question was directed at him, and she seemed to be completely avoiding Ace's gaze even though he shifted slightly, clearly trying to catch her attention.

"Whitebeard," Marco offered easily. "You?"

Nami smiled, pearly white teeth flashing. She was a deadly woman, Marco thought, and a remarkably clever one. She'd make Ace happy, he thought, and only hoped she loved Ace as much as Ace loved her.

"The Shichibukai," Nami said, and Marco raised an eyebrow. "Technically, they're not pirates, but there's one that I know Zoro will love to study. I managed to convince Robin." She smiled, and Marco suddenly felt as though he was missing something.

"Well, it will make for an interesting project, at any rate," Marco said slowly, glancing to Ace, who looked a bit like he wanted to bang his head on the table for some reason. Marco frowned. "Does everyone in class have ways of convincing Robin but me? Ace said she owed him."

Nami laughed softly, and Marco was forced to acknowledge how very beautiful she was. "Now, Ace, you really know it's you who owes her."

"Not from where I'm sitting," Ace muttered, and Marco looked back and forth between them, puzzled at the undertone. He looked at Zoro, but he'd managed to already fall asleep, so he was no help deciphering the conversation.

"So, Marco," Nami began, and Marco quite definitely heard a thump from under the table, "I heard you are a fan of Italian food. It's Ace's favorite, you know." Marco blinked again, wondering where this was going. "He also likes to dance."

"Nami!"

"Well, you do." Nami tossed her hair back, twirling a strand with her fingers. "His favorite chocolate is the caramel filled kind, though he loves chocolate with any kind of fruit too."

"Is there a point to this? Ace hissed, but Marco knew what the point was. She was warning him off what she considered hers, rubbing it in that he knew none of this and she did, and it gave him extremely mixed feelings.

Marco glared at the school computer, willing it to boot so they could stop talking. Honestly, it didn't surprise him to know that she had picked up on his feelings for Ace, but it was- sadly- nice to know she considered him enough of a threat to feel the need to show her close bond with Ace.

"It's nice you two are so close." Marco managed to keep his tone even and face impassive, but it was a struggle.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ace said. "You really should be more concerned your partner is asleep, Nami." Nami looked up and scowled, and the thump from under the table was repeated much louder this time. Zoro snorted awake, scowling.

"What the hell was that for, witch?" They started arguing in low voices, mindful of the librarian now watching them.

The screens lit up, and Ace sighed in relief. "Finally, we can start. How do you want to work this?" He smiled hesitantly, and Marco felt a spear of guilt shoot through his gut. Ace had sent him a text asking that last night, and he'd ignored it for his own petty reasons. He smiled, trying to make it reassuring, and hummed in thought.

"Let's start by gathering all the decent sources we can find, and then we can sift through it together and decide what to include. We already know the basics from class, so those first, but then look for interesting things?" Marco shook his head. "I don't know, what do you think?"

"That sounds good to me. How long do you have?" Ace's grin grew to its more usual confident appearance, and something in Marco eased, letting him breathe properly for the first time since last night.

"I don't have anything else tonight. We could grab a bite after this, if you'd like?" Marco's heart pounded as he relayed his casual invitation, and he mentally cursed himself. Ace's smiled grew, and he nodded eagerly.

"I'd like that."

"Should we invite them?" Marco asked, pointing to Nami and Zoro still in heated conversation, the words ash in his mouth. Ace brushed it off, and Marco restrained himself from shooting a triumphant glance in Nami's direction.

"Nah, they're busy tonight."

That was good, Marco thought, though part of him wondered if Ace didn't want Nami to know about their lessons. Which was fair enough. Ace didn't seem the type to be interested in Nami but going after another girl, so he must simply be embarrassed that he had to get help. Marco could understand that, and he offered a small smile in Nami's direction.

She was, of course, too busy to notice, one of her hands pushing Zoro's head closer and closer to his screen. Ace sighed from beside them, and Marco opened his internet browser, taking it as a signal to shut up and get on with work.

They managed to get a few paragraphs and the first few slides of their presentation done before Ace's stomach gave a loud growl. Ace laughed as Nami's head whipped round from trying to wake Zoro up, and she rolled her eyes. Marco should probably tell Ace to make sure his stomach kept quiet as it wouldn't win him any points if he was trying to get Nami to like him. Though, he thought as he shut down his laptop, she did  
seem interested enough.

Ah, young love, Marco thought with a bittersweet smile. They were so oblivious to each other that they couldn't tell the other was ridiculously in love with them. It was sort of adorable, if not for the fact Marco was head over heels for Ace.

They parted at the school entrance, Nami and Zoro heading off to the bike sheds. Apparently they lived near each other, and Marco's heart sank a little.

"Do you worry?" he asked, unable to help himself.

Ace glanced at him, frowning, and Marco explained.

"That Zoro will try something with her?" Marco clarified, and Ace's frown relaxed. He grinned, shaking his head and waving a hand.

"Nah," he said lightly, "Zoro's already spoken for. Plus they've known each other for years, they're more likely to drive each other into alcohol debt than do anything."

Marco nodded, shelving that worry.

If Ace had confidence in it, then so would Marco. Though a terrible, nasty, part of him did want Zoro to whisk Nami away into the sunset.

"Where did you fancy eating?" Marco said instead, setting them on the road to town. It was only a fifteen minute or so walk, and the sun was still out, though the sky was tinged pink rather than blue. It was a warm evening, and hopefully it would be a warm night.

"Don't mind," Ace said, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. Marco had come to recognise the act as Ace thinking, and waited. "Maybe the new pizza place that's opened up? It's next to the book shop."

Marco nodded, remembering that Haruta had said a few of them went at the weekend. It was nice, apparently, and Marco had no problem with it. He said as much, and Ace smiled.

"It's nice to actually be able to go to restaurants," Ace said, slinging his bag higher on his back. "Usually, they take one look at Luffy, recognise him, and throw us out."

Marco smiled, understanding perfectly why the restaurants refused to serve Luffy. He'd seen what Luffy was capable of when it came to food at lunch - the whole school had by now. There wasn't a person who went there who hadn't had food stolen from them by Luffy at this point, no matter what the lunch period. When he'd mentioned this to Ace, Ace had almost melted into the ground, and Marco was struck by the thought that at least Ace had a high regard for him.

Not that he had any chance when Ace was clearly straight and only had eyes for Nami (and she for him), but it was nice to know that Ace did like him. If things were different, Marco supposed he might have had a chance.

He shook his head, smiling bitterly at his own thoughts. Love surely made a fool of everyone.

"You okay?" Ace asked, setting a hand on his shoulder as they stopped in front of the restaurant, and the concern in his voice made Marco soften despite himself.

"Yeah, just a little tired." When the concern didn't leave Ace's face, Marco forced a smile. "And hungry." Ace laughed, and Marco wanted to smack himself for how much that eased the pang in his chest.

"Well, that we can fix. C'mon!" Ace casually grabbed his hand and pulled him into the restaurant, and Marco had to fight down a blush as the contact tingled along his arm. They were seated immediately at a table in the corner, and the waitress winked at him and giggled, taking in their still joined hands.

Well, at least someone thought they could be together, and Marco wouldn't have to put up with any flirting tonight.

"What do you want?" Ace asked, and Marco blinked, realising that he'd been staring blankly at the menu.

"Oh, I'm fine with any toppings," Marco said, and Ace grinned at him, his foot brushing Marco's under the table.

"Cool, want to split a supreme?" Marco raised a brow in question.

"Sure, but I've seen the way you eat; you're almost as bad as Luffy." Ace looked away, a blush tinting his cheeks.

"Well, this is just a snack. Sabo will make dinner late tonight, since he's forcing Luffy to get ahead on the next two weeks' work. He wasn't exactly pleased with Sunday's all-nighter." Marco held back a laugh at the thought that half a large pizza could be considered a snack and rolled his eyes.

"I don't blame him." The waitress came and took their order with a smile, quickly bringing out their sodas.

Ace chewed on his straw almost nervously in the silence that came in the waitress's wake.

"Um, I..." Ace faltered, and Marco barely prevented himself from taking Ace's hand in comfort. "I missed talking to you yesterday. I mean, we did talk at school, and all, so it wasn't really... I hope you enjoyed your movie." Ace stared at the table top as if not quite daring to meet Marco's eyes.

"Ace, I-" The waitress came with the pizza, and Marco was about to glare at her for her terrible timing, when his eye was caught by the pizza. The pepperoni stood out from the vegetables in obvious heart shapes. He coughed. Maybe Ace wouldn't notice. "Me too, Ace. I'm sorry I just fell asleep like that."

Marco saw Ace's eyes widen and knew he'd clocked onto the pepperoni hearts. He smiled weakly, moving his half of the pizza towards himself, though it was practically about to fall on his lap. He picked up a slice and popped it in his mouth, hoping that if he destroyed one pepperoni heart, he could destroy them all.

"They're cute," Ace offered, and Marco nodded, relaxing a little.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," Marco said, returning to their conversation. He felt really bad for having avoided Ace now and vowed he'd make it up to him somehow. "I missed talking to you too."

And he really did. Marco would never be able to deny that, and he grabbed a slice of pizza. Stuffing his face would hide his stupid smile and maybe, just maybe, protect his heart a little. Marco couldn't contain his next words, though, and he said them softly, around remnants of pizza, and in a way he hoped Ace wouldn't catch onto.

"More than I missed talking to anyone else."

He reached for another slice, and glanced towards Ace, about to change the topic. Ace's eyes were wide, though, and a slice of pizza hung limp in his grip, its existence completely ignored.

"Yeah?" Ace said softly, as if there was something bigger behind the word. It was all Marco could do not to crumble from the weight of that lone word, and he smiled, pulling a pepperoni heart off of his own pizza and placing it on a particularly bare space on Ace's.

"Yeah," he confirmed, and the heavy weight faded. Marco didn't know where that left them, or what the weight even meant, but it had to be something good.

Their conversation turned, and they continued on as normal after that. They settled the bill with minimal arguing (Marco had been determined to cover it himself, knowing that Ace didn't work, but Ace had been adamant for some ridiculous reason), and headed outside. The evening was pleasant, and Marco felt a pang of disappointment. There was no excuse to huddle close together now then or lend Ace his jacket.

Still, Marco felt as though he'd won a victory today, even if he didn't fully understand it. And he hadn't even had to use the advice his brothers had been giving him since he'd posted in their group chat. Some of their advice had been… ill advised, to say the best.

"I don't feel like going home just yet," Ace said, and began walking down one of the smaller streets. Marco knew it led to the centre of town, and he smiled. There was a river running through the city and, under the twinkle of street lanterns, it looked beautiful this time of day.

"No," Marco murmured, fingers itching to take Ace's hand. They were close, bumping against each other slightly with every few steps, but neither moved out of reach.

If Ace had to have Nami, then Marco could allow himself this moment of weakness. He could allow himself to bask in Ace's presence and pretend, just for a moment, that it was him Ace was after.

They reached the river far too soon for Marco's tastes, though his disappointment was lessened when Ace grabbed his hand unconsciously, pulling him down to the walkway to get a better view. Resisting interlacing their fingers was one of the hardest things Marco had done, and Ace's behavior tonight was not making any of this easier. Still, with Ace's warm hand on his, he found it hard to think about his future broken heart.

He would deal with the consequences later, he decided.

They made their way down the steps to the walkway by the river in silence. Marco feared anything he said might remind Ace to let go of his hand, and it was pathetic how much he clung to such a simple gesture.

There was a full moon tonight, and it hovered directly overhead, reflected in the still river with the lanterns. It had been too long since he'd come here at night, Marco decided, taking in the beauty of the scene, Ace's hand still loosely clasping his. Marco couldn't resist any longer, and tightened his grip, thumb brushing lightly along Ace's soft skin.

Ace sighed, and Marco's heart dropped to his stomach. Surely he would say something about their hands, or pull away. Marco loosened his grip reluctantly, but Ace made no move to relinquish his hold on Marco. Marco turned to look at him, but Ace was still focused on the river. His far off expression as he took in the night scenery stole Marco's breath.

"I love the lights reflected in the river at night." Ace's voice jolted from him from his staring. "It is always prettier in winter, though, with all the snow reflected as well." Ace smiled wistfully, and Marco found himself speaking before he could think.

"We'll have to come back then." He could have kicked himself when Ace turned to him, eyes wide and disbelieving. What had he been thinking? "If you want, that is. I mean, you can come here without me whenever you like, obviously." Ace smiled at his rush of words and interlaced their fingers, squeezing in reassurance.

"I'd like that," Ace said simply, and Marco wasn't sure how, but their shoulders were brushing as they both turned back to the view. Marco's heart was beating so loudly he couldn't hear the soft rushing of the water, and he stared blindly out at the river. All his senses were focused on their joined hands, his mind whirling at the possibilities.

But no. Ace liked Nami; that was obvious enough earlier, no matter how much like a date this seemed. Marco wanted nothing more than to pull Ace closer, to pull him against his chest and rest his chin on his shoulder, wrapping him in his arms, but he could not.

Ace's phone rang, and the sound in the near silence was piercing. Ace fumbled for his phone with his free hand, smiling apologetically at Marco when he glanced at the screen then took the call.

"Sabo, what's up?" Ace paused to listen. "Oh, yeah, I'll be home in..." He glanced around as if to confirm where he was, and Marco had to choke back a laugh. "Ten minutes."

Ace flushed bright red at whatever his brother's response was, and Marco drew his hand away slowly. Somehow he didn't want to be there for Ace's brother teasing him about Nami.

"Yes- I mean, no. Maybe? I'll tell you about it at home." Ace rolled his eyes. "Yes, idiot, that would be why. See you."

Ace hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket, and he smiled ruefully up at Marco. "Looks like I have to go. Sorry."

"That's fine; it's getting late anyway," Marco said and smiled. He reached out and brushed Ace's hair out of his face before he could stop himself, but Ace just grinned. "Text me when you get home?" They turned away from the river, and headed up to the street.

"Of course! You don't live too far away, do you?" Ace frowned.

"No, just 15 minutes or so."

"Well, then, you text me when you get home," Ace said, and Marco laughed. They reached the top and both headed in different directions before stopping, realising they'd have to say goodbye at once.

"So, um, Nami's having a party on Friday, and you'd be welcome to come if you wanted and your brothers too, of course. The older ones that is. Nami's get togethers can be a bit intense." Marco felt like he'd been plunged into an icy pond. Reality was horrible sometimes.

"I'll think about it." He managed a weak smile. "Well, see you tomorrow, Ace." He barely heard Ace's reply as he turned to leave.

Somehow, walking away wasn't as hard as Marco had thought it would be two minutes before.

* * *

The week, if Ace was quite honest, passed in a blur. He remembered library sessions with Marco, remembered sitting in class listening to Nami teasing him about his unrequited love (there may have been comparisons between Greek warriors and Marco, but Ace couldn't quite remember everything he'd said), and remembered sending what had to be over a thousand texts to Marco, but he didn't remember how the days had passed so quickly.

It hadn't just been Nami who'd been teasing him. Sabo had been relentless, even going so far as to get Ace a little gift. It had been one of those gag gifts, a small, inflatable 'perfect boyfriend', complete with an inflatable box of chocolates and tuxedo. Sabo had taken it further, however, and taped a picture of Marco on it, proudly announcing he'd found Marco on Facebook. Well, he'd only announced that after Ace had woken up shouting, Sabo having slipped it into Ace's bed sometime during the night.

Ace was sure he lived with a devil. Luffy had been no help either, cackling and making suggestions in Sabo's ear that Ace really didn't want to contemplate. He did keep the inflatable boyfriend-Marco though, and it currently sat in the fourth chair at their kitchen table as if he belonged there.

Still, it was now Friday, and Ace had no idea where the week had gone. Nami sat beside him, doodling swirls instead of taking notes during their English class. Ace was far away, trying to think of a solution to his time-hop, when he noticed Nami had stopped doodling and was scrawling a quick message.

_Marco's coming tonight still?_

Ace nodded, sitting back in his seat and stretching his legs out.

_Is he bringing anyone? Does he have a hot sister or something I can drag up to my room?_

Her note was punctuated with a winky face and Ace rolled his eyes. He shrugged. He wasn't sure who Marco was going to bring, or even if Marco was going to bring anyone at all.

_All I know is he's still coming,_ Ace wrote quickly, and Nami nodded in satisfaction.

_If he does turn out to have a hot sister, I want first dibs, _she replied, but Ace knew it was all talk. For all her ferocity, Nami preferred to take a back seat when it came to love. Perhaps it was because of Robin, perhaps because it simply wasn't too important to her, Ace would never know.

It didn't mean they couldn't joke about it though.

_You'd literally eat your way through the school if you could_, Ace wrote, and Nami snorted.

A rumour had gone around a couple of years ago that Nami had slept with almost all of the school – regardless of gender –, and she'd turned the scornful looks she'd received into something powerful. Let people think what they want, Nami had said before, and she'd laughed (though Ace knew Luffy had taken care to spend more time with Nami that week, inviting her round their house when one of their other friends couldn't). That was probably around the time that Ace had become better friends with Nami, if he thought about it.

Ace sighed and glanced at the board. It was their last class of the day, and as Smoker droned on about the difference between further and farther (really, did he think any of them cared?), Ace watched the clock ticking down the minutes until freedom. He was heading straight to Nami's since he'd been roped into helping setting up along with Luffy and Sabo.

Nami fidgeted in her seat, eyes on the clock as well. Robin had said she would drop by tonight, and Nami had been on edge all week. Luffy had volunteered them as help, and looking at Nami now, Ace couldn't bring himself to regret the hours of free labour promised without his consent. She needed the support, and if teasing him with Sabo about Marco helped her relax, well, he could take it for today.

The bell rang, and the class started packing up their books, ignoring Smoker, who was blathering on about how he was the one who dismissed the class, not the bell. Like any of them would believe that.

Sabo had been in French with Bon Clay and met them in the hall just as Luffy came bounding around the corner from Rayleigh's gym class, not having bothered to shower. He tackled them all with a hug, and they fell to the floor in a heap.

"Idiot," Nami muttered, but Ace could see her smile before she turned her face. "You stink. Now we'll all have to shower."

"But Nami, you'd make us shower anyway. You always do. Plus, you always smell pretty, like oranges." Luffy laughed and pulled them all toward the door, and Ace was relieved to see Nami already looking more relaxed.

They made it back to Nami's house in record time even though Luffy had dragged them on a bit of a creative route, and they had an hour before Sanji was supposed to arrive with the food. The house was already clean, so they dutifully moved furniture around for a while before she shoved them all in a guest room with clothing she'd picked for them (even Sabo, whom she normally trusted), and instructions to be clean and dressed by the time Sanji came.

She burst in twenty minutes later to help them with their hair (apparently, they never got it right), looking absolutely perfect. She'd left her hair down, but it was different somehow, and she'd done something to her face to make her look sultry.

"Nami, you look enchanting," Sabo said, adjusting his blazer. Ace wondered if he should feel weird he was just in his boxers. It was only Nami, after all. Luffy burst out of the bathroom naked, and that decided it for him. If that was okay, standing in his boxers with one leg in the ridiculously small jeans was too.

"Nami, these pants do not fit me, I don't care what you say," Ace said. "I doubt they'd fit Luffy!"

"You're not doing it right! Luffy put some pants on!"

"Are you saying there is a wrong way to put on pants?" Ace asked, and Sabo had to stuff his jacket to his mouth to keep his laughter muffled.

"Caring about circulation, for starters. Marco's coming, so those are the pants you are wearing. Robin picked them out, so they fit." She shot him a glare.

Ace frowned, waving the material in his hands stubbornly. He glanced at Nami and blanched. She was heading right for him, hands out to make a grab for the trousers, and it was then that Ace knew he was screwed. He'd be in these ball-crushing jeans all night, and there was no way out of it.

When the deed was done – and Ace though he might as well have tucked his dick away properly for how restrained he felt – Nami stepped back with a smirk and a snapped order to Luffy. He was still naked, laughing wildly at the fact Ace had literally been pulled into the jeans.

"It's not funny!" Ace snapped, and Luffy howled even louder. Ace scowled and vowed he'd take his revenge out on Luffy sometime over the weekend.

Nami sighed and pulled Ace over to the floor-length mirror, half-turning Ace so he stood side on.

"There's a reason these jeans are the ultimate weapon," she said, and Ace's eyebrows rose. Well, she definitely had a point, he thought. His arse looked amazing.

"If Marco has any sense at all," Nami said, brushing a few imaginary wrinkles from the shirt Ace was wearing, "he'll find you absolutely irresistible in those."

She grinned, head snapping to take Luffy's still-undressed state in, moving smoothly to tackle him into trousers.

"No need to thank me!" Nami called over her shoulder, and Ace stalked out of the room, shoulders squared and Sabo following with a laugh.

"You do look good," he said, and Ace paused, nodding his thanks. Maybe Nami did have a point then. Still, Ace knew he'd have to be careful sitting down, or he'd end up damaging something important.

"Do you think he'll show then?" Sabo said as they headed to the kitchen, pouring themselves a drink. Sanji would be in charge of cocktails when he came, but Ace needed something before that. Well, before Marco came, but being drunk tonight in general wasn't too bad a plan.

"That's the plan," Ace said, hands settling on a can of beer in the fridge. He passed one to Sabo. "I really, really like him," Ace admitted, closing the fridge and leaning his back against it, free hand over his eyes.

"I know," Sabo said, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "But you're not doing too badly, are you? I mean you're texting literally all day and night, and you keep seeing each other. I don't think anyone else apart from his family ever got that close."

Ace let his hand drop from his eyes, and he nodded slowly, pathetically.

"You watch, it'll be my luck that he turns up here with his girlfriend of two hundred years or something," Ace muttered, opening his can of beer and taking a sip as Sabo rolled his eyes.

"First of all, Marco's only 18, so if he had a two hundred year old girlfriend, he'd be a weirdo. Secondly, I don't get why you're so convinced he's straight. No one's ever seen him even look twice at a girl." Sabo patted his shoulder again, opening his own can.

Ace sighed. Sabo would never understand.

Sabo gave him the look, the one where he showed he knew Ace was being an idiot, and Ace had to laugh. He raised his can in a silent toast, knowing Sabo would catch the silent apology.

"I'm going to have to tell him I love him, aren't I?" Ace asked. "Tonight, I mean." Just saying it out loud was enough to set off a flurry of butterflies in his stomach. "I always thought I did before, but I knew nothing about him, and now, I just... He's just so amazing. Do I really have to tell him? He's going to hate me, but I can't keep this up, Sabo."

Sabo snorted, fingers tapping on his beer. "I'm afraid so, bro. If nothing else, Nami and Robin will both be here watching, and they'll make sure those are the only pants you have if you don't do _something_." Sabo gestured at the pants and laughed, and Ace scowled at him.

"I really don't know if I can sit down." Ace sighed as that just sent Sabo into fits of laughter as he leaned on the countertop to hold himself up. "It's a real problem, you know!" Luffy burst in and looked between the two of them, summing up what had happened in one glance.

"Stop laughing at Ace's pants, Sabo. Nami says Robin gave her some in our sizes if we misbehave." Well, at least that shut Sabo up. Sabo sat up and looked around at the kitchen like an irate Nami could appear from a cupboard with pants that were guaranteed to make a man sing higher. "Ace, it's great that you're going to tell Marco tonight! It will be nice for you not to be so mopey." Ace was about to lunge at him, but he stopped, confused, when Luffy raised a hand.

"Don't, Ace." He had on his ridiculously serious expression, and he met Ace's eyes, mouth grim. "You'll rip the pants." Ace froze, realising that that might very well be true, and Sabo and Luffy both burst into laughter.

Ace had found out that he could in fact move by the time Sanji came into the kitchen and had wrestled Luffy to the ground when he burst in with Nami. They completely ignored them, stepping over them on the way to the island where Sabo was leaning and calling out advice and taunts.

Ace got up, pulling Luffy with him, and went to investigate the possibility of food. Sanji drew a butcher's knife from his bag as they reached the island, and Ace found himself gulping as it was pointed at his throat.

"Out, now. All three of you." Sanji's voice melted as he turned to Nami. "You too my dear. Though I love your company, you should relax and await your guests." His manner turned clipped again, and he looked back at Ace. "See to it that she does."

They all nodded and left, and Ace was glad to see that the guests would be coming in ten minutes or so.

* * *

It was a little while later that someone patted Ace's shoulder, swapping out his empty can for a fresh one.

"You know," the voice said, and Ace turned to Nami, dreading what she was about to say. "You could have picked a less conspicuous place to stare at the door all evening."

Ace frowned and waved his can in the direction of the small group he'd gathered.

"What makes you think I'm staring at the door?" Ace said innocently, and Nami rolled her eyes. She took a sip of her drink – something vibrantly blue and fancy – and sighed.

"Fine, we'll pretend you're not going to leap on Marco the moment he steps through that door, then," she said with a grin. Ace felt his stomach twist, remembering his words to Sabo earlier, and plastered on a smile. He was going to tell Marco tonight, that much was true. He had enough alcohol in his blood to give him confidence, and there was no better time for Ace to do it.

"In fact, I thought I'd come over here so you looked like you were actually doing something," Nami said softly, kissing Ace's cheek gently. "They walked in about ten seconds ago. I recognised Marco coming up the drive."

Ace's eyes widened, and he looked down at his can. He wasn't ready to see Marco, not really, and especially not ready to confess his feelings. Maybe if he downed this beer, stole Nami's cocktail, and then drank the rest of the alcohol, he'd be happy.

"He's brought some people," Nami said curiously. "No hot sisters though," she added, though the disappointment was faked, Ace could tell. Robin was around somewhere, and Ace should really be thankful she'd deigned to spend time with him.

"I-" Nami broke off, and Ace looked at her. Her lips were pressed together tightly, eyebrows drawing together in slight worry. Ace's stomach plummeted, and he knew then that whatever he was about to see wouldn't be good. Ace had to look though, and so he did. He took a sharp breath in and turned towards the door, unsure what to expect.

Marco was there, with a few faces Ace recognised as his brothers. That wasn't a surprise; in fact, Ace was happy to see Marco. He wondered what Nami had been so worried about, and was about to turn to her triumphantly when he noticed something else, or rather, someone else.

A rugged (not handsome, Ace refused to acknowledge the man as drop dead gorgeous), red-haired man had his arm slung casually around Marco's shoulders. They were pressed tightly together, the man in the middle of some epic story judging by the movement of his free hand and the way his mouth moved. The worst of it all, though, was the look on Marco's face, how this man was clearly his entire world, captivated by the story and by the man.

"I need the toilet," Ace said quietly, and Nami, bless her, let him go sadly.

There was no way Ace could win against that man. Even if they weren't officially dating (Ace thought Marco had said he was single – was he wrong?), it was clear there was something between them, something that clearly wasn't just limited to friendship. Ace snuck into Nami's room, locked the door and fell back on her bed. He was such a fool.

He'd only been wallowing in misery for five minutes or so when he heard someone enter the room. He'd locked the door, but with his group of friends that just meant it limited who could come in. Ace dragged himself up, and Robin smiled at him as she sat on the bed. They sat in silence, Robin smoothing the bedding reflexively.

"You never really know what another person thinks or feels," she said, and Ace scowled at her. "Especially when you don't ask."

Ace raised a brow. "And if Nami came in right now and asked you? You must have noticed."

"I would say she's a good friend's little sister." Robin sighed, and a shadow passed over her eyes. "It is true, though certainly not the whole truth. Five years age difference is small enough in the grand scheme of things but not when someone is still in high school."

"So, the reason you took a break to teach is...?" Ace knew she was trying to make a point that he probably wouldn't like, but he couldn't help but be curious. Robin was never one to share her feelings.

She stared at him a moment, then chuckled without amusement. Ace reached out and set his hand over hers instinctively, and Robin smiled gratefully. "I shouldn't have been so selfish. She should be free of me, able to forget about me and find someone else. But here we are."

"I'm pretty sure she won't mind. It's not like you'd not have seen her even if you did go off to get your PhD." Ace laughed. "If nothing else, she'd have gone to you." Robin's gaze shot to his, and the hope, confusion, and anxiety in Robin's gaze strangely put him at ease. If love did this to Robin, then he didn't feel so much a fool.

She shook herself slightly, her usual calm facade falling back into place. "The point is, you can't know anything about it unless you ask. You thought he was straight until maybe ten minutes ago." Ace blinked. It hadn't even occurred to him that the easy way the rugged (not handsome) stranger had been close to Marco would suggest that Marco wasn't nearly as straight as Ace had assumed.

Taken was taken, though, so he didn't see how it helped.

Robin shook her head, and Ace knew she thought he ought to actually find out who the man was. He flopped back on the bed.

"Very well." Robin stood up as if to leave, but she turned back to the bed. "I don't suppose you'd do Nami and me both a favour." Ace sat up again, recognising the tone. Robin was about to kill someone. He'd better get up. "There is this kid... Arlong, I believe. I don't know who brought him, but he is pestering Nami."

Ace nodded and got up, his eyes narrowed. Nami was perfectly capable of dealing with unwanted attentions, and if Robin was concerned (though she was probably a bit biased, given their earlier conversation), then this guy was worse than the typical. They left the room together, but Robin had somehow vanished by the time Ace reached downstairs. She'd be nearby no doubt.

He walked right by where Marco and his companion were talking, huddled intimately in a corner, and ignored Marco calling his name. Nami was in the living room, not far from where Marco stood, sitting on the couch. She was trying to talk to Usopp, who was cowering in a chair nearby, while the jerk Robin had told him about inched closer.

Ace walked right up to them, ignoring Nami's and Usopp's confused glances, and sat right on the couch right between the two. He pulled Nami into his lap, and she, always quick on the uptake, curled into him and smiled vapidly.

"Hey, babe, sorry I took so long. Been having fun?" Ace said, enjoying Nami gritting her teeth at the pet name more than he ought.

Nami smiled, and to anyone who didn't know her (namely, creepy douchebag Arlong), it looked like a caring, loving smile. Ace, however, could see the promise of pain flickering in her eyes as Nami asked, oh so sweetly, if he could go refill her drink. Ace nodded gallantly, kissing her cheek gently as Nami slid off his lap. Her hand lingered on his arm, and she shot him a worried look, hugging him tightly when he shook his head. Not now, he'd said, and Nami promised silently that they'd talk about it later.

Still, Ace made his way to the kitchen, needing a drink for himself anyway. Fingers crossed Arlong would fuck off soon, and he could return to moping. Maybe he'd set Luffy on Arlong, and the thought made Ace smile as he reached for a beer, looking around to try and locate Sanji for something fancy that would cheer Nami up.

Ace didn't find Sanji, but he did find Marco. He froze, hands clutching his beer tightly, and he forced a smile.

"Oh hello," he said mechanically, and Ace wanted to hit himself for how stupid he sounded. His stomach was busy flopping around like a dying fish, and he really, really didn't want to be here.

"I almost thought you were avoiding me," Marco said with a smile, and Ace forced out a chuckle. It sounded ridiculously wooden, and he hoped Marco thought he'd had too much to drink. He didn't deserve to be jealous of Marco's boyfriend, not when they'd only really gotten to know each other the past week.

"Nah," Ace said, waving the comment off and reaching for another beer. He passed it to Marco and made a show of opening his own. The drunk excuse was always a good one, right?

"Thanks," Marco said, and Ace really did try not to stare too much as Marco took a sip, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. Marco licked his lips, and Ace looked away quickly, under the pretence of looking for Sanji. Life was unfair.

"You and Nami look good," Marco said, and Ace looked at him sharply. He shook his head, genuinely smiling.

"It's not-" he broke off as someone brushed past him, sloshing his beer onto the floor. Ace was about to say something when he noticed it was Arlong who had stalked past, shoulders hunched as he glared over his shoulder. Ace pasted a grin on his lips, and faced the fact he'd have to continue their little lie. Arlong was clearly a massive bastard.

"Yeah, we're good," Ace said, looking away from Arlong. "I really care about her," he continued, leaning back on the counter. It's not as if he was lying, after all.

"I'm happy for you," Marco said, and Ace needed to stop searching for things in Marco's words. He imagined a hint of sadness, and it couldn't be good. He needed to get over Marco, properly and for good. Marco didn't need him. Marco hadn't even said anything about a boyfriend. Marco wasn't as invested in their friendship as Ace was, clearly.

Ace gulped down some more of his beer. "So, who was that guy you brought tonight? Apart from your brothers. He looked a bit familiar." Ace dearly wished he could strangle himself. What on earth had he been thinking, asking about that man?

Marco waved a hand in dismissal, and Ace's stomach sank. He knew Marco wasn't one for short term relationships- they had talked about that, at least - so Marco really didn't care enough about him to even tell him about his boyfriend when he asked about him to his face.

"That's just Shanks." The name clicked the face into place, and Ace vaguely remembered seeing him around at school. He graduated last year.

"Oh, Shanks." Ace cursed himself and pretended to trip over his own feet while standing still. At this point, even being drunk wouldn't be enough to explain his stupidity, and Marco was staring at him in concern.

"Hadn't you better get back to Nami? She'll be missing you." Ace snorted, and Marco gave him a strange look. Before Ace could mention that Nami was likely trying to find Robin by now, and the only reason she'd come looking for him was either to get revenge or make him talk, Shanks sauntered into the kitchen.

"Mar-co," Shanks drew out the syllables in a way that made both of them wince. He pouted, teetering on his feet, and his cheeks were flushed almost the colour of his hair. "You're suppsa say 'Polo'."

"How did you even get so drunk? I'd swear you hadn't made it to the kitchen yet. I only gave you one beer." The smile on Marco's face as he turned to Shanks made Ace want to throw up. He set down his beer.

"I'sa party, Marco. How many times do I gotta to tell you, if you're nah drunk, you're nah doing it right?" Shanks looked from Ace to Marco and back again, scowling. Ace was certain it was beyond unfair that he managed to look good drunk and petulant. "Neither of you are doing it right."

"I think Ace has had enough," Marco said, and Shanks's stare intensified. After a moment, he laughed, and slung an arm around Ace.

"Like that, is it?" Ace forced himself not to throw off the offending arm, and Shanks smiled at him slyly. Marco stepped forward slightly, an uncertain expression on his face.

"If you want to pretend to be drunk, you'll have to do better than that, Ace," Shanks whispered in his ear, sounding completely sober, and Ace's eyes widened. "You just want out of here, right? Follow my lead." Marco was staring at them, looking almost alarmed, and Ace decided that Shanks was maybe alright, apart from the fact that he had Marco.

"Now, let's sing a song!" Shanks yelled, the slur back in his voice.

He started off on a tuneless rendition of Bink's Sake and nudged Ace until he joined in, and spun them around in a weird dance while Marco looked on, clearly wondering what to do about this development.

Shanks spun them out the door and into the crowd before Marco could follow and pulled them both into a corner. "I don't know what Marco did to make you want to run from him, but he can be a real idiot sometimes, so I get that, but he really cares about you, so fix it eventually, okay?" Ace gaped at him, but he was already scanning the crowd for Marco.

"I'll distract him for a bit if you want to make your escape. Do find some way to let him know I haven't abandoned you to get raped or kidnapped though." Shanks grimaced and muttered something his breath before winking at him. "Good luck, Ace.

Ace had always been told he was an instinctive person, but he'd never really believed it. Luffy was instinctive, and he had to be the one apologising for his little brother's messes - he couldn't be that instinctive. Now, however, he felt elation rise in him. Forget Shanks, forget Arlong, forget this rotten party he'd spent most of his time moping around at. Ace wanted something for himself, and even if Marco had something with shanks, it was clear Shanks was giving them the go ahead to take off.

So Ace decided to be instinctive. He grinned at Marco, grabbed his hand and reached behind him to take the six-pack where two perfect, lonely beers hung on the plastic.

"Come on," he said, and perhaps it was the alcohol that was giving Ace his boost of confidence and instinctive edge. Whatever it was, he was loving it.

Marco said nothing as they pushed through the crowd. Apparently someone had spread word of the party, and Nami was busy integrating into a group of gorgeous looking women, looking like the cat who had gotten the cream, shooting glances over to the side. Robin sat there, smile on her lips as she chatted to someone, but her eyes were only for Nami as someone shouted for body shots, volunteering the girls, who called out merrily in reply.

Ace shuddered, glad to be going if body shots were on the agenda. Body shots led to other things, and he wasn't sure he was ready to see half a dance floor turn into a strange orgy.

Instead, they left through the front door, and Ace continued on. Nami's road wasn't far from Ace's home, but he determinedly strode the other way, hand still clamped around Marco's wrist. He hadn't realised how hard he'd been marching until Marco twisted out of his grip and slung an arm around his shoulder.

"Where's the fire?" he commented lightly, though Ace could see concern in his eyes (and for once Ace wasn't going to pretend it was moonlight or the stars or some other bullshit he imagined to try and protect himself).

"I want to show you something, somewhere we used to play all the time as kids," Ace said, holding up the beers. "It was getting stuffy in there; I prefer seeing the night sky."

It was a lie, but Marco seemed to accept it as they trailed down to the end of the road. There was an alleyway, the another short road, and then they arrived at Ace's destination. A small patch of wilting grass stretched out before a slightly algae-ridden pond. It wasn't exactly impressive, but there had been ducks here when they were little and the grass had been lush enough they'd all played on it rather than the hot concrete of the roads. It did look a bit pathetic now, Ace had to admit, but he still wanted to share it with Marco, and he launched into a tale of how they used to feed the ducks, then of the Canada geese that had taken over and fucked shit up, and then Ace realised he was babbling.

Why was he babbling though? It was just Marco, just his friend, just some guy he happened to really, really like. Just Marco who had a boyfriend.

"I, um-" Ace said and took a sip of his beer to cover the awkwardness that suddenly spread around them. He found himself wishing even for a Canada goose in that moment, just something to lighten the mood.

"Ace, are you okay?"

"I, yeah, I just... How long have you and Shanks been together? You guys make a nice couple." Ace chugged the rest of his beer. He clearly did not need the alcohol, but at least it would shut him up.

Marco blinked. "We're not dating. It's been... what two years since we broke it off? We stayed friends though. He's happily in a relationship with his longtime fencing rival."

"Oh, that's good." When Marco's eyes widened, Ace backpedaled frantically. "I mean, not like that, but he was clearly implying that we were getting together, and while I'd not mind that, it would have been really awkward if you two were dating and-" Ace's brain caught up with what he was saying, and he glared at the beer can, though really anything was better than "Can we pretend I didn't say any of that?"

The silence was too much to take, and Ace finally had to look up to see how Marco was taking his sort-of confession. The stunned look really didn't seem to bode well. After all, Ace knew he wasn't really all that subtle, no matter what he pretended. Marco's brow wrinkled, and he looked at Ace in that ridiculously attractive way he looked at puzzles or maths problems, and Ace's heart flipped awkwardly in his chest.

"I'm going to say yes for now, but only because you're obviously drunk." Ace sagged in relief, knowing Marco would keep to his word. "But you have to answer a question for me first, and then I think at some point we're going to have a long talk." Ace tensed back up again, staring at Marco warily. Marco smiled softly at him and reached out to brush Ace's hair from his face. They were suddenly much closer than Ace remembered being before, but his muddled mind couldn't quite tell how that had happened.

"Are you and Nami dating? She's who your crush was on, right?" Ace could help but giggle at that, though he had the self awareness to mentally berate himself for acting so stupid. He was never drinking again.

"Nami? Even if I were into girls, she's clearly not into guys, Marco. I thought you were more observant than that. She's my really good friend. Well, she can be a bit mean, but I love her. Not like that obviously, but she's great. Really great." Ace frowned. "Even if she does make me wear pants that clearly do not fit. Look at them, Marco!" Ace gestured down at the offensive garment.

Marco muttered something in response, but Ace couldn't make much of it out. He leaned in further, hoping to hear better. Ace sighed. "I'm never going to get out of these, am I?" Marco inhaled sharply, and Ace frowned at him, hoping he was alright.

"You seemed pretty familiar tonight." Marco said slowly.

"You saw that bastard Arlong tonight? He was being such a jerk. Nami doesn't need that, and it was really for his own good. Robin can be scary, you know." Ace nodded sagely, and the world spun a bit more than he was expecting. Marco's warm hands were suddenly on his shoulders, and Ace just gave in and leaned his head on Marco's shoulder. The world was much steadier like this, even with Marco smelling sinfully good.

"I shouldn't have asked you while you were this drunk. I'm sorry, Ace." Ace hummed and stepped closer, giving in and clinging to Marco, who arms tightened deliciously around him in return.

"I'd tell you anything, Marco, beer or no beer. You're Marco." Marco inhaled sharply as Ace nuzzled him with his nose. Ace decided to do it again, whining when Marco pulled back.

"Yeah, home for you. But we're having brunch tomorrow when you wake up, alright? Because I think we really, really need to talk."

"M'kay, Marco."

* * *

Sighing, Marco looked down at Ace. He'd managed to get Ace back to his home - and it was empty, so his brothers were likely still at the party - and it hadn't taken much to get Ace into bed either. In fact, Marco had been fetching a glass of water, puzzling over the dark shape at the table, and by the time he'd decided whatever it was could be dealt with by someone who could find the bloody light switch, Ace had promptly marched himself off to bed, snoring by the time Marco looked in.

He was now faced with a dilemma. Ideally, Marco would wake Ace up, force him to drink the water, refill it, then take his leave, confident Ace wouldn't choke on his own vomit in the middle of the night. Except, Ace was already passed out, merrily dreaming, and there was no hope of waking him. It wasn't exactly a reason for him to stay and watch over Ace, but Marco did worry. Plus, the prospect of walking home didn't appeal, and a taxi would be a ridiculous amount of money.

Marco set the glass of water on the bedside table, moving out into the lounge. Ace's sofa was comfortable enough, and there was a blanket on the end Marco could use to cover himself up. He'd had worst nights sleep, and, when he lay his head down (after fetching a glass of water for himself of course), Marco found getting to sleep was actually very easy.

He woke to a loud thump. A door opened, and Marco cracked one eye open. He was glad he hadn't drunk much - he felt more tired than hungover - and stretched his legs out as he watched something crawl miserably into the lounge.

"Someone help," Ace muttered, voice croaky and miserable. "I can't feel my legs anymore, I slept in the jeans from hell. I think my dick's run back up just to escape being crushed."

Ace let himself fall flat on the ground, and Marco sat up, smiling down at him. Ace groaned, rolling over onto his back, and it did look like he was pretty stuck in those jeans.

"Here," Marco said, standing and stifling a yawn. "I'll pull, okay?"

It took what Marco would always swear was ten minutes, but they finally managed to peel Ace's jeans from his legs, and he gave a triumphant laugh as the last of the fabric came off.

"Look at these marks!" Ace exclaimed, shoving one of his legs towards Marco. It was true there were angry red marks all over Ace's legs, but Marco only spared a quick glance before he looked elsewhere. He was suddenly very aware Ace was in nothing but boxers (and where had his top gone?), and Marco was determined not to stare. Well, not to stare when he was sure to be caught.

He'd certainly not been able to keep himself from staring at the party. They might have been a bitch to get off, but those jeans did wonderful things to Ace's already pretty amazing arse. And legs. It was worth Shanks's relentless teasing about it, not that Marco would have been able to look away had he wanted to. Ace muttered under his breath, and Marco exhaled, trying to let go of the memories of peeling dark denim off of Ace bit by bit.

Marco edged away from Ace, scooting across the floor to grab his phone from the coffee table, eyes pointedly away from Ace, whose bare legs had been all but in his lap. It was still dark outside, so Marco wasn't surprised to see it was only five o'clock in the morning.

Ace yawned and stretched, and Marco forced his gaze away. Ace scrambled off the floor and frowned, looking around. "You were sleeping on the couch? It's really not big enough to sleep on properly. C'mon."

Marco found himself pulled up, Ace's hand warm where it clung to his as he was summarily pulled into the kitchen to drink a glass of water, his protestations that he hadn't drunk that much and had already had had water going unacknowledged. Ace flipped the light switch, and they both froze, staring at the small inflatable man at the table with Marco's Facebook picture taped to it.

"Marco, I-" Marco chuckled and ruffled Ace's hair lightly.

"Don't worry about it, I have brothers too. We'll talk in the morning." Ace nodded, glaring at the doll as he got out glasses and filled them, and Marco examined the inflatable man in more detail. So that had been the shadow at the table. It had a little box of chocolates. And flowers. Ace handed him a glass, and Marco dutifully downed it.

They left the glasses in the sink, and Ace pulled Marco away again. Marco went willingly but dug his heels in when Ace started to pull him out of the lounge.

Ace sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, Marco. It's far too early to argue about such things. That couch isn't big enough for me, much less you. Luffy and Sabo are staying at Nami's undoubtedly. I'll just sleep in one of their beds if it bothers you to share."

Exhaustion was settling down on Marco, and he found himself agreeing it was far too early to do anything but sleep. He'd just tell Ace to go somewhere else, and it would be fine. "I don't mind sharing if you don't." Wait, no, that wasn't right. He opened his mouth to correct himself, but stopped when Ace glanced at him, surprised, a soft smile ghosting his lips.

"Good." Marco's head was spinning as Ace lead him down the hall, tingles shooting up his arm from where Ace had unconsciously snagged his hand once again, but he shoved his questions out of his mind for now. There would be time to figure it all out after he'd had more than a couple hours of sleep. Ace closed the door behind them when they got to his room.

They got into bed easily, and Ace passed out again almost at once. Marco stared up at the ceiling for a little bit, listening to Ace's regular breathing, wondering about Ace's reactions and his words from before. Before he could think about it too much, Ace rolled over and snuggled into his side. Marco froze, distinctly aware of every bit of skin now pressing against him.

"Marco," Ace said contentedly, and he curled even closer, an arm and a leg thrown over him like burning brands and his breath fluttering against Marco's chest. He should have gotten up, should have gone back to the couch, but instead Marco let himself relax. He would enjoy this moment, however long it lasted. He fell asleep with a smile.

* * *

The next time he woke, Marco was in a much better mood. He was warm, the sun was up, so he knew it was a decent time of day. There was one problem, and that was the vibrating phone stuffed under his pillow. Marco frowned, grabbed the phone and answered it blearily, his hello more of a grunt than anything

"Seriously? I leave six messages and all you give me is a grunt?" It was a bit rude, Marco thought, and he sat up, looking for some water to get rid of the croakiness in his throat.

"Sorry," he got out, clearing his throat, realising that, actually, the space where he usually put his water wasn't where his water was. Because Marco was at Ace's in Ace's bed, Ace's arm over his waist and Ace's phone in his hand as he knew he'd left his on the sofa.

Which meant the person digging into him about picking up his phone was Nami, and if she knew it was Marco on the other end... He'd just have to pretend to be Ace while he tried to wake Ace up. Simple!

"So anyway where did you get off to? Don't think I didn't catch you sneaking out with Mr. Gorgeous." Well, that was a new nickname, Marco thought, and he smiled as he began shaking Ace's shoulder. "I might have been trying to make Robin jealous, but don't think I didn't see!"

"Um," Marco replied, unsure what Ace would respond with and shaking Ace a little more. He was rewarded with a grumble as Ace withdrew the arm holding Marco, mumbling something about Marco not deserving a nice cuddle. Which was ridiculous, Marco deserved all the Ace cuddles in the world thank you very much - but no, they needed to talk about things first.

"You either blew it," Nami drawled on the other end of the line, "or you blew him."

Marco's eyes widened and he knew he needed to get Ace on the phone now or Nami was about to get the scoop of the century.

"Ace," he hissed, and Ace looked at him with a frown.

God, Marco thought, they needed to talk and then Marco was hopefully going to get to do terribly amazing things to Ace. He rolled over, though, taking the covers with him, and Marco felt panic unlike no other spread through him. Marco didn't know how to talk to women properly, never had to learn between growing up in an all-male household and being gay. Not that he'd admit it, but Nami terrified him.

"Oh my god why are you being so slow! Tell me, or I'll end up sending Marco a letter from you that details how much you want to eat every cafeteria lunch you've ever had off of his Greek warrior abs - and yes I did record you once when you said that so I have proof you make me listen to your ridiculous desires at lunch instead of acting on them." Nami paused, and Marco tried his hardest to say something that was Ace-like.

"Oh," he said instead, and he was pretty sure his 'Ace voice' was very 'Marco voice'. "I wouldn't say Greek warrior though?"

There was no point in hiding, he thought, and by Nami's sharp inhale of breath, she knew who she was now speaking to.

"Fuck, Marco? Oh my god, oh my god," she said, and the shouting from the phone caught Ace's attention as he rolled around, eyes wide as he finally realised why Marco had been trying to get his attention.

"Shit," he said, half-landing on Marco as he grabbed the phone. "Nami? Nami! Shut up," he said, and then pulled the phone away. The screen was blank, the phone dead after running out of battery.

Ace groaned and slumped completely against Marco. " Well, at least she'll shut up that way."

"Ace..." Ace sighed and shuffled off of him, rolling over to the other side of the bed to sit up, and Marco had to force down a protest at the distance. Waking up cuddled next to Ace was something to savor.

Ace turned back toward him. He looked as if he was about to say something, paused, and Marco realised Ace was practically gaping at his bare chest. Marco looked down, wondering if he'd spilt something down himself, and realised why Ace was staring.

"Everyone in my family has one," he said, hand rubbing over his sternum and pectorals, fingers brushing the mark of the Whitebeard family. "It's our family mark."

Ace nodded slowly, and Marco liked to think Ace was filled with awe at the sight of his tattoo. He glanced at Marco and sighed, a little smile falling in place. His smile was so sad that Marco reached out at once to grab his hand fiddling with the bedding.

"I'm sorry, Marco. I shouldn't have asked for advice. I can't understand why I did. It was so stupid, and I should have just..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You were always the person I liked from the beginning."

Ace sighed and continued before Marco could process those wonderful, wonderful words. "I just guess I wanted to spend time with you, and you were so clearly straight - at least that's what I thought then - that I'd given up hope. You probably already figured out I liked you from whatever Nami said." Ace grimaced. Marco heard the blood pumping in his ears. All this time, all those looks, it had all been for him.

"I'm really sorry I made you think otherwise, though why you'd think I liked _Nami_ of all people..." Ace shot him a cheeky grin. "Anyway, I'm sorry."

"I have a bit of a confession to make too, Ace." Ace looked at him questioningly, and it was all Marco could do to keep from kissing him. They really had to get this talk over with. Hopefully, after that there would be plenty of time, and Ace would be willing to do wonderfully terrible things with him.

"I've been horribly jealous of the person you liked for quite some time now. I've been trying to give impartial advice, but it's hard when the thought of you being with someone else... well, it was hard to stomach." Marco smiled self-deprecatingly. "And Nami spends an awful lot of time in your lap. It is a perfectly reasonable conclusion."

Ace was silent for a while, and Marco looked around the room. It was neater than he'd imagined, with posters on the walls from various films Marco recognised as Ace's favourites. There was a pile of clothes on the floor, and Marco smiled a little.

"I even started a Facebook chat to ask my brothers for help," Marco admitted, and Ace raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"The number one sought after guy at school needed help from his brothers?" Ace rolled back onto the bed, laughing wildly. "Never in any of my wildest fantasies did you need help to get someone."

Ace sighed gently, tilting his head to look at Marco. Marco smiled and shuffled down, looking at Ace for permission to wrap his arms around him. Ace nodded, a little shakily, and Marco moved onto his side, resting his head on Ace's chest.

For a while, they lay there, listening to the traffic and the people on the road outside. Birds called to each other, and there was the sound of slamming doors and cars roaring to life as the world went on around them.

"I really like you," Marco said suddenly. It had been bubbling up for a while now, and he was surprised he hadn't said something before. Ace jerked under him, and Marco sat up.

"But you could have anyone," Ace said softy, though there was a twinkle in his eye, as if he already knew what he meant to Marco.

"You're over exaggerating," Marco said, lowering himself down a little, eyes only for Ace. "Though apparently you have been waxing poetics over lunch about my Greek warrior abs."

A smile spread across Marco's face as Ace flushed, pulling the covers up over his head, hand coming out to hit Marco's arm.

"You are never allowed to talk to Nami ever again!" He said, and Marco laughed, settling back on the pillows and closing his eyes.

"If I can't, does that means there is more I ought to know?" Ace burrowing further under the covers was answer enough, and Marco had an idea. "Well, since I'm going to assume that Nami won't be too shy in telling me them, especially if we're together-" A groan from under the covers assured him that that was a safe assumption. "- so every time she tells me something, I'll tell you something embarrassing from before we got together too."

Ace drew the covers back and glared at Marco suspiciously. "There can't possibly be as much." Marco's brows shot up and warmth settled in his stomach. Ace blushed, realising what that implied.

"Well, I'm not sure about that, but I have fourteen brothers if I can't think of anything. I'm pretty sure they'd have something." Ace brightened, and Marco was not sure that he was supposed to feel so happy about telling Ace things he'd really rather not. Of course, it was Ace, and if it made him happy, then it would be fine.

"So, what's the first one?" Marco decided not to mention that Nami had also asked if Ace had blown him. That wasn't specific, so it didn't count. He really wished she hadn't given him that image though, especially when they were still in bed and mostly unclothed.

Marco hummed and tried to think what would be a good thing to start with. "When we were at the library with Nami and Zoro, I spent far too much time hoping he'd sweep her off her feet and leave you broken-hearted." Ace's eyes were wide for a moment then he burst out laughing.

"That's so wrong on so many levels," he said when he quieted down, and Marco felt his cheeks warm.

"Well, I didn't really want you to get hurt by it, but given that I didn't know them that well, it seemed like a solid plan otherwise." Ace sat up, turning so he was facing Marco again, foot casually brushing along Marco's bare thigh under the covers as he shifted.

"That doesn't really count though." Ace's smile was downright mischievous, and Marco found himself swallowing hard. "It's not really the same kind of fantasy as mine."

Marco cleared his throat and let his gaze obviously fall on Ace's bare chest, lingering until Ace squirmed. "I'm not sure this is the right time for those." Ace bit his lower lip.

"I don't know, almost naked in bed seems like a pretty good time. Of course, Nami is most likely speeding over here, but she would deserve to walk in on us. Not that she'd be embarrassed." Ace scowled, but then turned almost thoughtful. Marco found himself holding his breath for whatever came next. "How about a kiss instead?" Marco's mouth went dry, and it took him a moment before he could respond.

"I think that could be arranged."

Taking a deep breath, Marco slid his palm against Ace's cheek, smoothing over the barely-there stubble and the smooth skin above. Ace looked tired, but his eyes were bursting with energy and anticipation, and whatever teasing Marco was about to do fell apart.

"You have no idea what you do to me," Marco whispered, and Ace's lips fell apart, red and full, and Marco moved slowly, savouring the first touch.

He kissed gently, an introduction if there ever was one. Marco's hand slid down Ace's neck, delighting at the shiver under his fingertips as he moved, until he could grip Ace's waist. He wouldn't squeeze hard enough to leave marks until later, but he pressed against Ace gently, letting him know he was wanted so, so much.

Ace's arms wrapped around his neck, and Marco was tugged quickly over Ace. There was a grin on Ace's lips as Marco was forced to straddle him, and while there was a thick wad of bed linen between them, Marco knew this could spiral quickly if they let it.

"This is just heavy making out," Marco emphasised, and one of Ace's eyebrows rose. He nodded, cheeks dimpling as he smiled. Marco backed up, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm serious. I don't want this to be a quick, casual thing." He paused, the smile sliding off of Ace's lips. "I'm going to take you on dates, you can take me on them too. Then when we know each other properly, we're going to have a romantic meal somewhere, we'll get the candles and the rose petals out. Maybe there will be a bubble bath and champagne in there somewhere."

Ace snorted, and Marco laughed.

"Okay, maybe not, but I do want it to be special. I want to show you how you make me feel, and then blow your mind." Marco wiggled his fingers, and Ace lifted himself up a little, laughing as he caught Marco and pulled him close.

"I want it to be special too," he admitted and pressed his lips to Marco's. His lips were warm and firm, setting a pace that Marco would never be able to let go of now. Marco lowered himself slightly, brushing hair away from Ace's face as they kissed, and if Marco had to get stuck in a moment, he wanted it to be this one.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't to get his wish, and they'd only exchanged a few more languid kisses, when Marco got tangled in the accursed bedding and fell over, face planting on top of Ace. He'd landed dangerously close to the part of Ace he'd most like to wrap his lips around, but Ace just grinned and pulled him up again, pecking him lightly on the mouth.

"How very forward of you. And to think you were the one to restrict us to making out." Marco glared at Ace, but he loved the teasing note in Ace's tone more than he'd care to admit. He bit Ace's lower lip in revenge, sucking lightly. They kissed more desperately now, fierce and hot, and Marco knew they needed to pull back if they were to do this properly.

He rolled off Ace reluctantly, trying to calm his frantic breath, and groaned. "There's so much I want to do to you." The words were drawn out of him desperately, and Marco instantly wished them back. Not because he was worried that Ace would respond badly, and indeed, by the fire in Ace's eyes, he didn't respond badly in the slightest, but because the things he could do to Ace and Ace could do to him were now very clear in his mind and Ace's too by the look of it.

Ace closed his eyes and rolled out of arm's reach. "This is going to be harder than I expected." Marco snickered, and Ace threw a pillow at him, huffing, a scowl on his face. Marco was slammed with the desire to kiss away the scowl. "This is _difficult _enough without bad puns thank you very much."

"I'm not the one making them," Marco pointed out, and he caught the pillow this time. "Clothes. We need clothes. But not those jeans. They don't make anything less _hard_." Ace quirked a brow.

"Oh, so they were worth it then?" Ace heaved himself up, and Marco decided that ogling did not count as more than making out, and the way that Ace's muscles rippled under tan skin deserved appreciation.

"My feelings for those jeans are very complicated. I definitely enjoyed peeling you out of them, but watching almost everyone at the party check you out was not exactly fun." The thought of all of the looks he'd noticed directed at Ace last night made him clutch at the bedding.

Ace hummed thoughtfully as he tossed Marco his clothes from the floor and turned to his dresser. Marco had barely put on his own jeans when the door to the room was flung open, and there were dozens of camera clicks. Nami came into the room pouting.

"Man, I was too late." She glared at them as if this were their fault, which Marco thought was unfair. "I need new black material now that I've lost the Greek warrior- What do you think you're putting on?"

"Clothes? And nothing happened. Well, something happened, but not what you're think-." Ace stopped and sighed when Nami just grabbed the shorts he'd been about to put.

"Nami-"

"Nope," Nami said as she tossed the shorts neatly in the trash and began digging through the drawer. Marco pulled on his shirt and sat down on the bed to enjoy the show. Jealousy had really been messing with his head, he saw now as Nami proceeded to dig through Ace's entire closet to find something she deemed suitable, while Ace argued futilely.

"No," Ace said, and Marco raised an eyebrow as Nami began holding clothes out. She picked out a particularly gaudy coloured top and looked at Ace with disdain. Marco could see why, it had a grinning steak on it and some faded letters, and Ace flushed dramatically when he saw it.

"It's Luffy's," he said automatically, shooting Marco a quick look. Nami coughed politely.

"I was there when you got it," she said, and she glanced over Ace's ducking head to smile widely at Marco. "You can't hide anything from me."

Ace let out a heavy sigh, and Marco shook his head in amusement. He could hear noise coming from the other room, and he guessed that Nami had brought back Ace's brothers too. There was the gentle sound of bickering, and Marco smiled fondly, thinking of his own family, and then a shout of surprise as, from what Marco could hear, someone found his phone.

"Is this why Nami was so excited to get here?" a bleary voice said, and Marco recognised it as Sabo. He glanced over to Nami and Ace (and she'd seemed to have selected the clothes now, and Ace was protesting), before heading to the door. He slipped his shirt on and opened Ace's bedroom door, closing it behind him as he stepped out to see if he could get his phone back.

"Ah," Luffy said. He was standing on the sofa, holding the phone above him like a treasure. "Aha!"

Sabo, standing off to the side, halfway into the kitchen, looked like death and would clearly be no help at all, so Marco was left to face a grinning Luffy alone. Ace hadn't told him much about Luffy, and Marco hadn't had too much experience with him, but Marco knew he was crafty, boisterous, and protective of his own. If Marco wanted anything with Ace, he needed Luffy's approval.

"You're the geek," he announced merrily, and Sabo gave a snort of laughter. Marco frowned, turning to him slowly. He went to the library a lot, but that didn't really make him a geek, did it? Why was anyone even using the word geek anymore?

"Greek warrior, Luffy," Sabo said patiently, and he seemed to take pity on Marco. "Coffee? I'm about to make some for myself so an extra cup is no trouble." He smiled, and Marco nodded, glad at least one member of Ace's family seemed to like him. Even if they did know the terribly embarrassing nickname.

"I'm not a Greek warrior," Marco said awkwardly as Luffy kept staring as if he was about to whip out a sword and run off to fight a hydra or something.

"I know," Luffy said, and he hopped off of the sofa, handing Marco's phone to him. "It would be cool if you were though." He paused, and Marco decided to sit down, watching as Luffy looked between the kitchen, Ace's door, and the spare space next to Marco. He elected for the spare space, and Marco felt a little honoured, though it was just a space and nothing special.

"I love Ace," he said quietly, and Marco nodded slowly. "So you need to look after him."

"You want to know a secret?" Luffy's eyes brightened, and he nodded eagerly. "I think I could love Ace too."

Luffy's answering grin was contagious, and Marco probably looked a fool, but having those words out in the open, no matter how obvious it had been to him from the start, made it sink in that this was truly happening.

"He needs a lot of looking after," Luffy said, and Marco would have laughed, but something in Luffy's eyes denied laughter, "so it'd be good to have more help." Marco nodded solemnly, emotions roiling at the implications.

"So, what do you suppose it takes to be a Greek warrior? Are they strong? Are you stronger? Were they free? Did they have lots of cool adventures?"

By the time Sabo came over with coffee, they were debating whether ninjas or Greek warriors were cooler, and who would win in a fight. Sabo collapsed into an armchair, nursing his own cup.

"Ninjas would clearly win, and you'd better not hurt Ace." Sabo's eyes were intent on him, but Luffy just laughed.

"It's fine, Sabo." Sabo blinked and stared at Luffy for a few seconds before nodding.

"That's okay then," he said, and Marco felt a weight lifted off of him. Clearly, Luffy's approval meant quite a bit in this family, and he'd managed to pass the test. Sabo gulped down his coffee before setting the cup on the table and curling in on himself in the chair. He buried his face in his arms on the arm of the arm, and Marco winced at the position, even though Sabo managed to make it look natural.

The front door opened, and Marco looked at Luffy, startled, but he just stared curiously at the door. Sabo didn't even bother to look up. Professor Nico strolled casually in as if she owned the place. "Robin!" Luffy waved excitedly from the couch, and Professor Nico smiled, stepping past the living room to go to the kitchen.

Behind her Thatch came in hesitantly with Shanks, who nodded at Marco, raising his brows and smirking Thatch strode forward when he saw Marco. "There you are! We've been worried sick!"

Luffy lept of the couch to tackle Shanks in a hug, and Shanks laughed.

"Hey, anchor," he said before looking at Thatch. "I figured he'd be here. Plus he texted me."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Thatch glared at Shanks as he detached Luffy and settled next to Marco, Luffy perching on the arm.

"You didn't ask."

"I texted you too, Thatch."

"My phone's dead." Thatch sniffed and sat down on the couch on Marco's other side, making himself at home.

"I fail to see how that's my fault." Before Thatch could come up with a response to that Shanks interrupted.

"So, how was your night, Marco?" Shanks asked, a very familiar grin on his face, and Marco rolled his eyes.

"Yes, do tell, Marco," Robin said, coming out of the kitchen with a pot of coffee and cups for everyone, along with cream and sugar on a tray, but before Marco could point out that somehow it really wasn't appropriate of her to ask that somehow, Sanji burst into the house, bags of his groceries in his hands. He looked pretty hungover too, and he merely greeted Robin and grunted at the rest of them before heading to the kitchen.

Thatch raised a brow and got off the couch, following Sanji to the kitchen and leaving Marco with Shanks and Robin.

"Marco, did you know there's a strange, inflated casanova in here with your face on it?"

"Yeah."

"That's okay then."

Everyone (except for Sabo, who was clearly trying to forget the world existed) turned to look at Marco, but it was Luffy who spoke first.

"Oh, you met Phoenix?"

"He has a name?" Marco asked before he could think better of it. Oh well, anything was better than dealing with either Shanks or Robin right now.

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, Sabo wouldn't let me to with him to help pick one out, so I got to name him!" Sabo muttered something unintelligible and curled up even tighter. Marco was considering fleeing from Shanks's and Robin's questions when Ace's door finally opened, and Ace and Nami stepped out.

Nami looked positively smug, and Marco could not blame her. Ace looked damn good in the the blazer with the sleeves rolled up, v-necked shirt, and what looked to be a different pair of equally tight jeans, belted with two belts for some reason. Ace looked a bit like a puppy that had been scolded, but he brightened at the obvious admiration in Marco's gaze.

He was across the room and in Marco's lap before Marco could pick up his scattered thoughts enough to speak. Ace looked at Luffy and Shanks curiously for a moment, but then he grinned.

"Oh, you're that Shanks! Thank you for taking care of my brother. And last night, come to think of it." He managed a half bow in Marco's lap, and Marco wrapped his arms around him in order to keep him still. Nami settled herself on the floor ar Robin's feet, and they shared a glance.

"Anyone up for cards?" Nami asked, pulling a deck out from nowhere.

Marco just watched as they began a strange game, where the rules seemed to jump around and change every five seconds. Shanks was in the middle of disputing something or other with Nami (and he was losing spectacularly, but seemed to be having a fabulous time regardless) when a wonderful smell permeated the room, and Thatch stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"Come on you peasants," he said cheerfully, and there was a slight stampede as everyone got up to collect the wonderful food. Ace lingered back, though, and because Ace was still using Marco as his own personal chair, Marco lingered back too.

"I may be ridiculously hung over, and my balls may never recover from what Nami's done, but I think this is one of the best days I've ever had." He smiled sweetly and leant in to kiss Marco. Marco's arm wrapped tighter around Ace's waist, and he thought that if a time machine were ever to be invented, he'd want to come back to this day.

"It's one of my best too," Marco said gently, and Ace slid off of his lap slowly.

"You're playing the next game by the way," Ace muttered as they entered the kitchen, and while it was full of people, Marco was stuck by an odd sense of how at home he felt here. "No boyfriend of mine is going to ruin my winning streak! You're a champion of cards by default," Ace explained, and Marco made a show of sighing.

"I suppose I can learn to deal," he said and took a plate of food that was offered to him. He moved back to lean against the counter with Ace, and the general conversations merged into one. Soon, Marco was full of good food, good company, and a passionate discussion about whether most historical films photoshopped the abs onto their actors or not.

"I bet Ace is an expert on the historical Greek films!" Sabo commented, and it all went a little downhill from there, laughter spilling over in place of silence.

Marco looked at Ace defending non-CGI abs and definitely knew that this was the best day of his life.

* * *

Dating Marco officially was nothing like Ace had imagined. Well, parts of it were, but it was more a case of Marco exceeding expectations and being ridiculously perfect. Forget Greek warrior, the man was a robot programmed to be as perfect as could be. A robot blessed with a Greek warrior physique.

"What are you doing for lunch?" Marco asked as they passed in the hallway between classes. Ace had every intention of kissing Marco senseless there and then, but they'd decided to keep it quiet at school. Ace didn't fancy being the envy of every woman who'd ever gone after Marco, and really, their relationship was no one's business but their own. Plus, Ace would be late to his class, and he really didn't want to get on Mr Sakazuki's bad side. Well, even more than he was. The guy could hold a mighty hatred or two.

"You?" It slipped out before Ace could stop it, but Marco just grinned. "Um, just meeting everyone in the cafeteria like usual. Why, want to go over our presentation again?"

"No, but that would be a good excuse if we want to leave early to make out in the stationary cupboard." Ace's stomach flipped. It didn't matter how many times they'd made out, just the thought of it made him feel all weak in the knees.

"Robin will know." They'd showed up to class before after a make out session, and no matter what they did, she always knew.

"She'll probably give us extra credit on the presentation."

"True." Ace laughed.

"You should go. We'll have time at lunch," Marco said, and Ace almost gave in and kissed him at his grin, but he sighed.

"Bye, Marco. I love you." Ace's eyes widened. He'd not meant to say that. Neither of them had mentioned love yet, though Ace had known he'd loved Marco for some time. He'd been waiting for the right moment, dammit. His eyes flew to Marco's, but he was met with a gaze so intense he was surely going to melt on the spot.

"I love you too, Ace." Marco's voice was choked and unusually deep, and Ace shuddered there, in the middle of the hallway, people milling around them. Marco let out a shaky breath and not touching him was torture. "You- you need to go, or you're never going to go, and we're going to- well, you need to go."

Ace nodded shakily and turned to go to class, his steps stiff and mechanical. He could feel Marco's gaze burning him as he walked away, and he knew if he turned around, neither of them would be getting to class.

Class dragged on that day, and it felt like ages before Ace could see Marco again. Sabo and Nami both noticed his impatience, and they teased him mercilessly, but Ace couldn't bring himself to mind.

Marco's voice, rough with emotion, kept echoing through his mind, and by the time lunch rolled around, Ace was almost ready to forego food in favor of the stationary cupboard. Almost. Luckily, Marco had read his mind and was waiting for him in the cafeteria, three plates piled high in front of him. At Ace's curious glance he smiled.

"I already ate." Ace broke records plowing through the food, and even Luffy was impressed when he showed up for the tail end of it. They left as most of their friends were still trickling in, the presentation as their excuse, but Ace knew no one believed them.

By the time the bell rang for them to head to their next class, they'd managed to separate (barely) and make themselves (mostly) presentable, but it was a near thing.

"Only one more class and then the presentation, and we're done. I'm so glad it is Friday," Ace said as they stood before his next class.

"Bye, Ace. I love you.

"Love you too."

The words were so easy to say, and Ace felt his cheeks burn through class as he grinned. Nami sat next to him, and Usopp kept shooting him glances, eyes narrow and pen moving over his paper as the teacher droned on about something or another. Ace wasn't paying attention, neither was the rest of the class - one group table were stacking their belonging up, seeing who would cause the tower to fall - and he let his mind wander back to the cupboard at lunch, at feeling Marco against him, his muscles (and yes, they were Greek warrior worthy still) tight as he'd hauled Ace onto one of the small desks, slotting between his legs perfectly.

A piece of paper brushed against his arm, and Ace snapped out of his daydream. He looked down, coughing as he quickly turned the paper over. His eyes were wide, and Ace knew the class was looking at him for his coughing outburst.

"Something wrong, Ace?" the teacher asked gently, though the scowl on his face showed he didn't like being interrupted. "Something you'd like to share with the class?"

Ace felt his cheeks heat up and he shook his head.

"No, sorry sir," he said, and there was a loud clatter as the table across the room's game pile came crashing onto the table. The teacher sighed, rubbed a hand over his eyes, and continued on, clearly wanting this class to be over as much as they all did.

"What the fuck," Ace hissed when the class had mainly settled, turning up a corner of the paper he'd been given. "Usopp, what is this?"

Usopp waved his hand, and for a self-proclaimed coward, he was pretty ballsy.

"Art," Nami said instead, plucking the paper from under Ace's hand and nodding at it. "Really good art."

"It's porn," Ace said, trying to snatch the paper back. He glared at Usopp, who was barely holding back his laughter. "Dirty, filthy, terrible porn. Of Marco and me!"

"I lost a bet," Usopp said, his voice high and lips pressing together after the words escaped, just in case he exploded in laughter. "Nami made me."

Nami didn't even pretend to be apologetic, sighing as she handed the paper back to Ace.

"What can I say, I think both you and Marco are very attractive. Plus I wanted to freak you out in class. You're always more fun when you're freaked out." Nami patted him on the arm, and he could tell she was asking whether she'd overstepped the line, concerned. Ace rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, looking down at the drawing now he'd recovered from his shock.

"When Marco and I move in together, I'll make sure this is on the mantelpiece, so you get to see it every time you come over," Ace said, and Usopp's eyes widened, claiming he'd rather a better picture was put on display, one with references used for the positioning, and maybe having them sit for him? He was cut off by a glare from Ace, and pretended to listen to the teacher, as if that would save him from whatever Ace would do to him.

"When you move in?" Nami said softly, and Ace shrugged, though his smile returned.

"Today's been a good day." Nami rolled her eyes, and Usopp looked like he might ask about being present next time so he could capture the moment properly, and Ace hurried on. "Is the snow going to stick, Nami?" They turned as one to the window, staring outside as fat, fluffy flakes fell from the sky. Nami smiled softly, brushing a hand through Ace's hair. He'd told her about their promise to go to the river long before, and she was as excited for him as he was.

"Yeah, I told you Monday today would be your day. Going to confess? It's so sappy and adorable. I love you two."

Ace felt heat rise to his cheeks.. "It might already be a bit late for that."

"What?!" Nami's voice was a bit too loud, and everyone in the class turned to look at them. The teacher just sighed and continued on, not bothering to care they were clearly not paying attention. Nami stared at him thoughtfully, and Ace squirmed under her gaze.

"No wonder you look so thoroughly kissed." She sighed wistfully, and Ace smiled at her.

"You know, Robin's really good at waiting for the right time, right?" Nami glanced at him, eyes wide. "Not that you heard anything from me, but I wonder if anything could test her patience?"

The bell finally rang, and Nami and Ace said goodbye to Usopp, Ace thanking him politely for his drawing since it was after all a very good rendering, and they went together to history class, Nami deep in thought.

Their presentation passed in a blur, and Ace hoped he managed to be halfway articulate and stick to the Whitebeard pirates, and not blather on about Marco. He really wasn't sure that was the case, and the only thing that made that okay was Marco looked equally out of it. Still, they'd practiced for week, so it had to be routine by now, right?

Robin looked amused as she stepped up to the front of the classroom when the applause died down, but that meant nothing. She didn't look at Ace without some hint of amusement lately, and Ace had long since gotten used to it. She cleared her throat, looking around the class.

"That was very interesting, boys. Did you know that the first and second division commanders were rumored to be madly in love? I'd hoped you'd find a bit about that, but it's not well documented, so I suppose it doesn't matter. Things always work out in the end, don't they?"

Ace and Marco sat back in their seats, and the next pair went up to the front. Ace sighed and checked the clock for the seventh time. Only a little bit longer before they could leave. He didn't even try to hide the dopey grin on his face when Marco caught his hand and slid a note onto his desk.

_Where exactly are we going tonight to get you so excited?_

_I was setting the scene to confess tonight_, Ace wrote back, smiling to himself. _There's no roses, and I already let the cat out of the bag as it were, but I'm still excited. Oh, there's something you should see._

He paused, looking at Robin to make sure she wouldn't see (though if she didn't know already, she'd probably see anyway - it was like she had eyes everywhere). He pulled Usopp's drawing out of his bag, passing it to Marco face-down. Marco frowned, turned it over, and his eyebrows shot up as the colour on his face drained.

Then, curiously, Marco tilted his head with a frown. He moved the paper around, so that the people were more upright, and shook his head.

"He left out my tattoo," Marco whispered, and he actually sounded sad. Sad enough that he'd want this picture redrawn, and Ace needed to stamp that thought down immediately. He grabbed the paper and huffed. He wasn't going to pose starkers for Usopp, and he wasn't going to let Usopp ogle Marco, no matter how in love Usopp was with his girlfriend. The powers of a Greek warrior body were too strong to resist, and while Ace wouldn't blame anyone for ogling, Marco was all his, and he intended to keep it that way.

_Do we get him a present?_ Marco wrote on the paper between them, and Ace drew a frowning face.

_It was Nami's idea, and I won't be caught dead thanking her!_ he replied, and Marco nodded. They both knew Ace would be getting Nami some of the fancy chocolates she liked.

Around them, people started clapping for the group that had just finished, and Ace sat back in his chair, sighing. He was bored of being here, and he just wanted the class to finish now so he could take Marco out. He'd planned it to be all romantic and ridiculous, a confession of his love by the side of the river, maybe sneaking off to a nice restaurant after and then… well, Ace might have the house to himself that night.

The class shuffled around them, and Ace realised that they were done. He shoved everything into his bag and stood enthusiastically, bouncing where he stood, waiting for Marco. Marco smiled, taking Ace's hand, and he shrugged when Ace looked at him.

"It's not like we're hiding it," Marco said simply, and Ace nodded, heart swelling with joy. While he didn't want to deal with the people Marco had turned down (some seemed to think they had a right to date Marco and he owed them), Ace didn't want to have a relationship he needed to hide.

"You two do know it's not a secret, right?" Nami said as they met her at the door. She rolled her eyes, but looked at them fondly. "The entire school probably knows by now - why do you think Marco hasn't been confessed to in months?"

Ace blinked slowly.

"Oh," he said, looking at Marco. "I guess I was too busy to notice!" he said, laughing and giving Nami a quick peck on the cheek. She was a sweetheart, and he nodded towards the almost-empty classroom, signalling she should go talk to Robin.

"We could go on double dates," Ace said cheekily, and Nami flushed. She was otherwise unflappable, and Ace loved to tease her about Robin, especially when it looked like they'd be official soon. Robin was leaving the school at the end of the year to return to her studies, and she and Nami had been closer than ever the past few weeks.

"Anyway, have fun you two! Oh, and here." Nami handed him a bag with a wink, and Ace looked at it with trepidation. He wouldn't be opening it at school, that's for sure. She leaned in to whisper in Ace's ear. "Robin helped me pick it out, so you'll be sure to have fun. God knows you're too dense to remember to pick up even some lube, so we got you an assortment of things." It was Ace's turn to flush as that was not _exactly_ true, but there was no way he was telling Nami that.

"I'll make sure to keep Sabo and Luffy out of the way. Bye!" With that, she spun away and sauntered down the hall, leaving Ace holding the bag dubiously.

Marco had watched the whole exchange with amusement and curiosity on his face, and the bag was burning in his hands. Ace stuffed it in his backpack for later, trying not to think about what all could be in it.

He cleared his throat. "Ready to go?" Marco nodded, smiling just for him, and they set off, gloved fingers entwined as they walked through the thickening snow. Ace lead them through the streets on a meandering route. It got dark early, by they still had an hour to kill before sunset.

They stopped by a small cafe to sip hot chocolate by the fire and watch the snow fall as they waited. If Marco stared at him like that any longer, Ace was going to jump him regardless of where they were or what plans he had, and Ace told him so.

That unfortunately seemed to make it even worse, and it wasn't long before they went back out in the cold. The sky was darkening, and Ace decided it was time. They walked to the river slowly, dragging each other into alcoves along the way to trade slow kisses.

Marco smiled when they got there. "I'd hoped this was what had you in a tizzy. How'd you know it was going to snow? You told me you'd plan tonight on Monday."

"Nami has many skills," Ace said, leaning on the railing. The lanterns were already flicking, and it was even more beautiful than he remembered. Marco came to stand behind him silently, wrapping his arms around Ace and resting his chin on Ace's shoulder. Ace snuggled back contentedly, and they watched the river flow by lazily.

"I wanted to do this so badly that day," Marco said.

Ace wasn't an avid fairy tale fanatic. He'd never really been interested in the animated films about true love and destiny, and he avoided the romance genre as much as he could, cringing when he thought about the over saturated plotlines. He'd never really believed in the entire concept one person could make another feel wonderful, but right now, Ace took all that back. Marco was his Prince Charming, his knight in shining armour, and whatever ridiculous cliché that could be applied.

He pressed close against Ace, the cold chasing his kiss as he opened his mouth, and Ace deepened the kiss. They were in public, so Ace kept his hands above Marco's waist and made sure his tongue stayed in his own mouth, but if he could, Ace knew he'd be doing filthy things right now.

"All the teachers but Robin would have a heart attack if we did that at school," Ace said as they parted. The tip of Marco's nose was bright pink, and Ace gave it a little kiss, brushing away snowflakes as they landed in Marco's hair.

"We should bring a picnic here sometime," Ace said, wishing he'd had the foresight to think of one. He could do with some more hot chocolate right about now, and Marco hummed in agreement, eyes tracking the water as it flowed down the river.

"Picnic or not, I'm very happy." Marco's arm wrapped around Ace, and they watched the water flow for a while, snow settling around them. The world started to grow softer and quieter, snow muffling the harshness of life, and Ace smiled happily.

"This is pretty perfect," Ace said, watching a few passers-by. Two little kids called out to their parents excitedly when they stood at the edge of the river, arms waving as they explained what water was to their parents.

"Do you want to grab some food and go back to mine?" Ace asked quietly, and Marco nodded. He kept his arm around Ace as they headed towards a good but cheap restaurant, opting for the take away option, and were soon heading back to Ace's.

"You know," Ace began as they crossed onto familiar roads, only a few minutes from home. "We have the house to ourselves tonight."

Marco looked at him with a smile, nodding his head. The look made Ace's heart speed up, and he weighed the food bag in his hand, wondering if it was best to eat now for stamina or for a reward after.

"There will be no one to hear you cry when I beat you in Mario Kart then," Marco said smugly, and Ace laughed, hitting him on the arm as he took a step away.

"I'll make you eat your words," Ace retorted, fishing his keys out of his bag. "No one beats me in Mario Kart!"

* * *

Hours later, they were curled up tightly together in bed listening to the snow flick against the window and basking in each other's presence. Ace smiled, lips warm against Marco's bare skin. He'd never been more content in his life, and he didn't want to sleep and lose this moment. Ace chuckled at himself, and Marco looked down at him inquiringly, his thumb brushing a soothing rhythm along Ace's bare shoulder.

"Oh, it's nothing." Marco gave him a look, and Ace sighed, rolling on top of Marco so they were face to face. "It's just, I didn't want to go to sleep and lose this perfect day." Marco's lazy smile set Ace's heart to racing again.

Ace continued once he dragged his mind back to the matter at hand. "But it's a bit silly because ever since that day- no, even before that, really- since the day Robin assigned us to work together, every day's been the best day, so it really shouldn't matter."

Marco's eyes were almost molten, and Ace squirmed under his intense gaze. "I love you so much, Ace. You take my breath away everytime I see you, and I want to spend every day showing you just how much you mean to me."

Ace let out a shaky breath and smiled, rolling back to his original position tucked into Marco's side. They were silent for a moment, and Ace thought Marco had fallen asleep when he spoke up.

"We really owe Nami and Robin brunch though."

Ace nodded. "Though knowing Nami, we might owe them brunch every weekend for the rest of our lives," he said and laughed. "I'll give them a ring in the morning." Marco smiled sleepily and pulled Ace closer. Ace fell asleep with a smile, knowing that tomorrow would be even better. He couldn't wait.


End file.
